The Soulforge
by Dark Amystika
Summary: A strange girl finds herself transported somehow into the world of Nosgoth and finds herself the epicenter of a war that's been raging within the vampire genocide. Who and what is she? And why can she effortlessly change both Raziel and Kain's destinies?
1. Chapter I

Disclaimer: I don't own any "LoK" stuff, so you can put any thoughts of suing me out of your mind right now.

Chapter I

I could've gone with them. I _should've_ gone with them. But _no_, I wanted to stay alone for the weekend. Begged to, really. Hey, I'm the responsible one! I get good grades (usually), I keep my room clean (for the most part), I stay out of trouble of any kind...no, really!...and I help out around the house. Why shouldn't I be allowed to stay alone for three full days and nights while Mom and Dad take my brother, Daman, back to college three states over? No one even knows anyone lives out here, since we live in a big house tucked away in the woods. I'd be perfectly safe! Well, I got my wish. And you know what? I would've given anything to be sleeping on a rollout bed in a ho-motel (a really bad motel connected to really nice hotel, for the travel-illiterate) halfway through Virginia listening to my dad's snoring instead by the end of the first night. Not because I was lonely, mind you, I am_ never_ lonely. I got sick. And I wouldn't have if I had gone with them. But this really isn't the beginning, and that's where I should start.

The beginning was two days prior, in History class at school…

A/N: I'm considering having some Raz/Soul fluff in this story, but I'm not sure if that will add to or detract from the story. So I'm going to institute a poll: the first...15 people to review and give me their opinion will be tallied and I'll decide from that.


	2. Chapter II

Disclaimer: I don't own "Celtic Spirit", as all you intelligent people may have guessed.

Chapter II

"Hear my cry in my hungering search for you  
Taste my breath on the wind  
See the sky as it mirrors my colours  
Hints and whispers begin

I am living to nourish you, cherish you  
I am pulsing the blood in your veins  
Feel the magick and power surrender to Night 

Ev'ry finger is touching, searching  
Until your secrets come out  
In the dance as it endlessly circles  
I linger close to your mouth

I am living to nourish you, cherish you  
I am pulsing the blood in your veins  
Feel the magick and power surrender to Night…"

_My voice echoed down across the burned, wasted land. I stood on cracked, broken steps high above what was once a magnificent Circle. Now the Circle lay in shattered fragments, the Pillars it once supported long since dust in the wind. Strange that I should find myself in the lifeless wasteland where no sentient being, living or otherwise, had set foot for millennia. I walked down the stairs through the silver rain. Huge, long drops of this silver rain fell all around from the purple sky. The rain was neither wet nor cold, but created a warm tingling sensation on my skin. Strange again how I didn't wonder at this either. It was as though I had known no rain other than this, and so of course this seemed natural. Everything was natural. I knew this place._

"Come back…"

_I sighed. Echoes of voices that once rang in this valley still remained to taunt me. I knew the voices, but their names always eluded me. They never said anything worth hearing, really. They could not speak for themselves, but merely echo what they once knew. And apparently, they once knew me._

"Come back to us…"

"Come back…"

_"Come back to us, Miss Reaver."_

_I frowned. This was a new one. No one called me that except for…except…_

"Miss Reaver!"

"What, what!" I cried, my head snapping up from off my desk. But I knew what. I had fallen asleep in History again. The rest of the class sniggered, but I didn't blush. I had long since stopped being embarrassed about what I could not control.

"Hah! You should've heard yourself, you kept mumbling 'I don't wanna'!" laughed a boy near my desk, Don.

"Well, at least I don't snore and ask my mommy for a cookie!" I retorted. Laughter erupted and Don's face caught fire.

"I never-" he protested, but stopped when I held up a tape recorder.

"You did, and I can prove it," I told him. "So leave me alone."

"People, people, please!" came Mr. NitWhite's voice. "Simmer down."

I rolled my eyes. Mr. NitWhite was the kind of guy who thought he was the funniest thing since the rubber chicken. "Sorry Mr. Nitwit."

"That's Nit_White!_" he shouted.

"Whatever." I knew perfectly well what his name was, I just liked annoying him as much as he annoyed the rest of us. No one, not even the other teachers, got his name right the first time. Sometimes not even the second or third. It was pretty funny, really. I sat down in my desk again, folding my hands and gazing up at him innocently, the picture of a perfect student. Mr. NitWhite rolled his eyes and returned to his desk.

"Well, Miss Reaver, since you seem to be in an unusually talkative mood, maybe you would care to answer the question?" he said.

_'Uh, no, not really,'_ I thought. "What was the question, again?" I asked instead. My head was still a little foggy, and I couldn't get the dream out of my mind. Mr. NitWhite sighed exaggeratedly.

"Very well then," he said, as though he was doing this as a personal favour to me. "Where did the signing of the Declaration of Independence take place?"

_'Philadelphia,'_ said my brain. "Nosgoth," said my mouth. Laughter again, and this time I flushed furiously, wondering what had possessed me to say that.

"Uh-huh. A comedian, I see," said Mr. NitWhite. "I like comedians. Just not in my classroom. I want to see you after class."

"Yes'm," I mumbled.

"Very good," said Mr. NitWhite, oblivious to the fact that 'yes'm' was the contraction of 'yes ma'am'. There were snickers, but this time they were directed at him, not me.

"Can anyone _else _give me an answer?" he asked with exaggerated patience.

"I dunno, I liked Soul's," said another guy behind me. I grinned. Mr. NitWhite threw up his hands and turned his back on us. He did that all the time. I wondered if he was trying to make us feel guilty about being the way we were. Well, it wasn't working if that was his intent. As he spun back around to confront us again, not words but the blaring of a bell came from his mouth.

"_Yallume_(1)!" I muttered, putting my books back in my bag slowly to escape being trampled in the customary frenzy to get out before the hallways clogged completely and made movement of any kind impossible. Once everyone had left, I made my way out.

"Soul, remember I wanted to see you?" said Mr. NitWhite. I cursed silently and turned back to him.

"Yes?" I asked, trying not to sound exasperated. What would the diagnosis be today? Depression? Languor? Insomnia? One too many hours of video games before bed? What did he think was wrong with me now?

"Is something bothering you?" he asked. I was thrown. This was not expected. Was this a trick? NitWhite _never _asks if something's bothering you, he just tells you what he thinks your problem is and shoos you out of his classroom.

_'Huh, looks like someone remembered their Prozac this morning,'_ I thought. "What makes you ask that?" I inquired.

"This is the third time this week you've fallen asleep in class. Are you getting enough sleep at night?"

What was I supposed to say to that? Well, I had three options:

Truth-"No, not really. I can't fall asleep for hours, and when I finally do sleep it's not at all fitful. I've been waking up every morning for the past few weeks now with fresh bleeding cuts on my arms and face, and blood on my mouth that I know isn't mine. What's more, the muscles of my legs, chest, and sides are cramped and tired, like I've been running all night. From the way my heart pounds, whatever I'm running from I'm afraid of. So no, I'm not sleeping well."

Lie-"Oh sure, great. Really, I'm fine. I don't know, I just don't like history."

Run-"Oh would you look at that, I'm gonna be late for my next class! Great talkin' to ya, see ya Mr. N!"

Hmm. I was torn between the last two. There was no way I was going to tell the truth, I'd be back at the shrink's so fast it would make your head spin. I chose the lie instead.

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I need more sleep than most people, but I can manage."

NitWhite didn't look convinced, but he nodded grudgingly. "Well, I'd better let you go before you're late to your next class. Do you need a pass?"

"No thanks, I'm good. See ya!" I was out of there so fast I wondered if there was a cloud of dust behind me like in the old cartoons with the Road Runner and Wiley Coyote. I breathed a sigh of relief. Damn, that was too close! Why can't teachers just leave us alone? We should have a period in the beginning of the day where we just sleep for ninety minutes. I guarantee we'll function better if we do.

"'Hoy, Moony!" I heard a shout. I grinned and turned around to face my best friend, Caitlin, and her boyfriend, Brad. Moony. I like that nickname. Caitlin gave it to me when we became friends in second grade, nine, almost ten years ago, when we were about seven. She said that it suited me, and I must admit it does. For some reason, I was born with a genetic defect that resulted in none of my cells producing pigments. You could say I'm albino, I guess, but that's not really it. I have thick white hair that falls to my elbows, sure, but I don't have red eyes. My eyes are silvery-grey. My skin's kinda silvery-white. The only colour I have is a burn on my forehead, a black crescent moon with its horns turned down. My short bangs, which just barely brush my eyebrows, frame it nicely. I don't know how I got it, actually – my parents say I was playing in my dad's workshop in the basement and I burned myself on a hot poker or something – but I don't believe it. It doesn't hurt, for one thing. It never did. I liked to think that it held some deeper mystery.

I waved back at my friends. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"On our way to class, duh," said Caitlin with a grin. Caitlin's really cool. She's kind of a punk, but in a good way. She wears black eyeliner and sometimes silver eye shadow, almost always the same black leather trenchcoat, and her short brown hair is streaked with devil red. She's a little on the short side herself, not even reaching my shoulder at her 4'11" height. I'm almost a foot taller, though since I'm more long-legged than long-torsoed I look a little shorter when I'm sitting, but stand proud at 5'9", but that only means that she makes a great armrest. I'm not kidding, she lets me lean on her shoulder.

"We saw Joe earlier," added Brad with a grin. Joe was an old friend of his whom I was kinda crushing after. I couldn't help smiling at the mention of his name, but I managed to refrain from giggling like a little girl.

"What did he say?" I asked. "Did he say anything about me?"

"He said he _loves _you, and he wants to _marry _you immediately and have your children," said Caitlin with a wicked grin.

"Ah, go to Hell," I said conversationally.

"He asked if you were still trying spells that use blood," said Brad severely.

"It was only a tiny little pinprick!" I protested. "And no, I am not!"

"A tiny pinprick turns to much more very swiftly," said Brad. "We're only watching out for you."

"Well I thank you, but I'm fine," I said firmly. "I won't do it again. Now let's get to class."

* * *

Elvish- (1) At last! 


	3. Chapter III

Disclaimer: I don't make any claims to Elvish or Dwarfish either, or anything of the great J.R.R. Tolkien.

Chapter III

I was really grateful to have Caitlin and Brad in class with me. It made things a lot more interesting. Our next class was English/Lit. but we were top of the class anyway, so we sat in the back whispering the whole time.

"So, got plans for your birthday yet?" whispered Caitlin.

"You know I do! You, me, Courtney, and Hana, next Saturday, New York City to see "The Phantom of the Opera"!"

"You're going to a musical for your birthday?" asked Brad, impressed. He knew my family had a lot of money, but even this seemed a little extreme.

"Sweet Sixteen," I explained. "My parents made a big deal out of Daman's, so now it's my turn."

"Are you having a party too?" asked Brad.

"Yeah! This Friday, on my actual birthday. Oh by the way, you're invited. Sorry, I would have invited you earlier but you and Cait hadn't been going out when I started planning."

"S'ok."

I smiled. Brad was such an understanding guy! I was really happy for Caitlin to have found him. They were so happy together, and I hoped they stayed that way.

"Hey! Talkative Trio back there! Are you paying attention?"

Instantly Cait, Brad, and I were sitting up and paying attention. "Yes. Mrs. Flemingcoff," we said in one voice. Mrs. Flemingcoff rolled her eyes.

"Then perhaps one of you would care to come up and correct this sentence?" she asked, gesturing to the grammatically incorrect sentence she had written on the board. I groaned quietly. We were way too old for this kind of thing.

"No, not really," said Caitlin coolly. I grinned.

"All right then, Soul, why don't you do it?" said Mrs. Flemingcoff. It wasn't a request. Grudgingly I went to the board where she had written:

'the boy, and his dog, are inseparable. They is always together all the time. I like dog's do you.'

I corrected the grammar and checked for any hidden mistakes. Mrs. Flemingcoff liked to try and hide very subtle mistakes that looked like they were right. She never once fooled me, and she was determined to do so before the end of the school year. There were none this time, so I put down the dry-erase marker and went back to my seat.

"Wow, that was brutal," joked Brad quietly. Cait and I muffled our snickers while Mrs. Flemingcoff checked my work.

_"Amin n'rangwa edanea _(1)_,"_ commented Caitlin.

_"Uuner uma, n'dela no'ta _(2)_,"_ I answered. Caitlin grinned, and Brad looked confused. He never had much of an ear for Elvish. Caitlin and I picked up on foreign languages really easily for some reason, even made-up ones like Elvish and Dwarfish from Tolkien's books.

"So what'd you dream about in History this time?" asked Brad.

"How'd you know I fell asleep in History?" I asked.

"We heard you talking with NitWhite," said Caitlin.

"I see. Same thing as before," I said.

"The Pillars again?" asked Brad.

"Yup. And I haven't touched any of my "Legacy of Kain" games since I beat "Defiance" last week, so I dunno where this is all coming from. I'm still mad about how "Defiance" ended."

"So write a fanfic about it and get over it."

"Thanks Cait."

'I'm just saying!"

"Well don't!"

Caitlin looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. _"Amin dele ten' lle _(3)_,"_ she said gently. I smiled.

"Don't," I said. "I'm fine, Cait. Really."

"I don't know about that," said Caitlin. "I've been having weird dreams too. Seeing you, wearing that Halloween vampire costume from last year, standing by the Pillars with something long and glowing in your left hand. You use it to stab on of the Pillars and the whole world rips apart or something."

"That _is_ strange," I said thoughtfully. "What do you think it means?"

"I don't know. Maybe you really did come from Nosgoth through an inter-dimensional rift?"

"Don't get my hopes up."

"Maybe we should pay attention?" suggested Brad. Mrs. Flemingcoff was watching us again with one of her beady little eyes.

"We'll continue this at lunch, then," I said. The others nodded, and we pretended to pay attention for the rest of class. When the lunch bell finally rang, we bolted. We were, by no means, eager to choke down whatever chemical by-products that they called food that was being served that day, merely to continue our conversation uninterrupted. We joined Hana at our usual table far in the back after getting our lunches from the kitchen line – though _line_ is not the right word to use, as it's more of a feeding frenzy, a hunger-induced stampede that invariably crushes those who don't understand enough to fight their way to the front like everyone else – and continued talking, after getting Hana's confirmation that she was coming to my party.

"So anyway, you were saying how you think you came from another world that isn't even supposed to exist," said Brad. I laughed.

"Hey, it could be true for all we know," I said.

"Well, that would explain your name and why it's so weird," said Hana.

"Thank you."

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"Whatever. I came before the games anyway."

"Why did your parents name you Soul, anyway?" asked Hana.

"What's your full name, anyway?" asked Brad at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise, then turned back to me, obviously waiting for my answers.

"In this order: I don't know, and Soul Antares Reaver," I said. "My parents are weird; you know that."

"Yeah, but your dad has the coolest job," pointed out Brad. I smiled. My dad worked with video gaming companies, selling his – and sometimes my – ideas to them for them to make games out of. It was pretty cool, to have a dad who imagines up video games. Honestly, I have a wilder and more vivid imagination than he does, but that's why we work together a lot. If he needs a new idea for a deadline, he just asks me and I have a presentation ready for him by the end of the week. But he does a lot of it on his own.

"What's Antares mean?" asked Hana.

"It's a star in the constellation Scorpio," I explained. "The brightest one."

"Cool," said Hana, and resumed valiantly trying to eat what we were told was pasta with meat sauce without being physically ill. I grinned evilly.

"Soul, don't you dare!" warned Hana, but it was too late.

"Ever think about what they do with the carcasses of the fetal pigs after the bio kids are finished dissecting them?" I asked. "Well, y'know that sauce you're eating? It's meat, all right, but it comes from-"

"Stop it!" shouted Hana, though everyone else was laughing.

"And those so-called "noodles"?" I asked, making air quotes around the word. "Remember how theories of spontaneous generation of maggots in rancid meat were disproved? I'm not so sure that-"

"I said stop!" cried Hana. "For once, none of your gross-out stories, OK? I just want to eat my lunch. I know it's not organic, I know it's all chemically produced, but could you just let me eat it?"

"Be my guest," I said calmly. Hana slowly lifted another forkful of the pasta to her mouth, watching me to see if I would start up again. When I didn't, she took a bite. I opened my mouth as though to speak, but she made desperate noises behind a mouthful of half-masticated noodles and meat sauce, so I desisted. I loved doing that, though, grossing her out so badly. If I was really on a roll, I could actually disgust her so badly that she couldn't eat.

"Anyone know what the weather's supposed to be like Friday?" I asked.

"Sunny and warm, why?" asked Brad.

"'Cus if that's the case, then the party's going to be outside…" I let my voice trail off and let them wonder for a moment what I was going to say before adding "…at Hangman's Falls."

"Sweet!" shouted Caitlin. "That'll be so awesome! Outside or in the caves?"

"Yes," I answered. Cait laughed. Hangman's Falls was a waterfall deep in Stryker's Woods – the woods where my house was. They were named for the nefarious Captain Stryker, a pirate who had terrorized the colonists back in the old days. He was hanged on the old gnarled tree at the base of the falls – hence the name of the falls! Legend has it that his treasure is buried somewhere deep in the caves, which my friends and I have come to refer to as Hangman's Caves. We toyed with the idea of Treasure Caves, but that seemed too generic. We had found them by accident, when one summer we were playing around in the river and Courtney, my other best friend, pushed be through the waterfall. When I didn't come back, she and Caitlin came after me, and we discovered the hidden entrance to the caves. Since then, we allow no one inside but ourselves. I went there often when I was sad or scared or angry, or I just wanted to be somewhere peaceful and undisturbed. We discovered we could keep food fresh out there by keeping it in a stone fridge-like structure, and I actually ran a few cables out there so we could have electricity. Mom and Dad had no idea. If only I knew what those caves would soon be for, I would've had the foresight to stash a gun out there as well…

Elvish- 1 I don't understand these humans

2 No one does, don't worry about it

3 I am worried about you.


	4. Chapter IV

Chapter IV

I trudged home slowly, making my way up the very long, twisting driveway. Usually I love this part of the day, walking through the woods back home, seeing the great house looming in the shadows and the trees, windows softly glowing to welcome me home. Today I felt no usual sense of serenity and simple pleasure, but a great gnawing fatigue starting in my centre and working its way through me. I was exhausted, and I didn't know why. What I did know was that I didn't want to sleep for some reason. I feared what I might dream. My dreams, I knew, were interwoven with the strange muscle pains and bloody cuts that came with waking nowadays. If I didn't find out what it all meant soon, I would lose my sanity. I loved the way I lived my life, but I hated my life. It was all so _boring_, so monotonous and…premeditated. I wondered often if someone had written out my life before I was born and now I was compelled – or maybe condemned – to play it out that way. I didn't want that. I wanted adventure, excitement, I wanted something impossible to happen, like, as Caitlin said, an inter-dimensional rift opening and sucking me into another world that shouldn't, by my world's standards of reality and what is and is not possible, exist. And if possible, I wanted to bring my friends with me. I never felt like I belonged here, in this world, in this life, but now, as my sixteenth birthday drew nigh, that feeling increased steadily every day. It had since the new year began four months prior. Was something going to happen when I turned sixteen? I could only hope!

I knew that ignoring the fatigue and getting right to what little homework I had immediately was out of the question. I hated going to sleep in the middle of the day (though I found sleep came easier in the daylight hours than at night) but I could hardly keep my eyes open. I called a tired hello to my mom as I walked in the front door and headed up to my room. Mom followed.

"Honey, is something wrong?" she asked.

"I'm really tired, Mom," I said. "I'm just gonna lie down for a while. Could you wake me up at dinnertime?"

"Sure thing, sweetie," said Mom. "Ah, your History teacher e-mailed me about your falling asleep in class?"

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Are you OK?"

"I just haven't been sleeping well the last few nights is all."

"How long?"

"About a week, I guess."

"A _week!_ Why didn't you tell me?"

"Sorry."

"Well, you take a nap and I'll call you for dinner. If this persists, tell me, and we'll see the doctor to see if something's wrong."

"Thanks Mom." I smiled. Mom always took care of me, even when I didn't really need it. She was always there to make sure I was doing OK and to see if there was something wrong and to fix it if there was. She was constantly asking me what was wrong, but so did a lot of people. Whenever my face is relaxed, I look ineffably sad for some reason, so people are always asking why I'm sad. It gets annoying, but at least it means people care. Or they're just curious. Or they're just bored. Whatever the case, I didn't care. I turned and went into my room.

My room is huge. So big I have my own private observatory, even! It's split into two levels, the stairs being at the far wall on the first level. I have a small library on the first level, as well as my computer and desk. On the second level is my TV, stereo, laptop, and bed. I have such a cool bed, really, a four-poster. The posts are all carved to look like different dragons in various positions (that's not an innuendo, I swear). The head- and footboards were carved like twisted, Gothic gates. Hell's gates, maybe. The bed was made from some black wood, and not painted black either, but natural. Blood red veils hung all around on all sides, enclosing the mattress. The sheets, currently, were blood red silk with a black silk pillowcase. The only sort of non-Gothic thing about my bed was the quilt. It was actually a tapestry of a Celtic unicorn dancing among the stars in the black night sky with a parchment-coloured Celtic knot trim around the unicorn and a green Celtic knot trim around that. It measured 7'4"x8'10", roughly, and its size isn't a problem since I have a queen-sized bed. My parents spoiled me and my brother a little.

I dropped my bookbag at the foot of the bed before pulling back the curtain and dropping myself into bed. I sat up just long enough to take off my boots and slip under the covers before collapsing, my head hitting the pillow like a dead weight. Sleep came almost immediately, and with it, as I feared, the inexplicable dreams.

_I made my way silently, my velvet gown swishing only slightly around my ankles. I couldn't betray myself with a single sound, no matter how soft. _They_ could hear anything. Yet, they should also have been able to sense life, living blood pumping. They were distracted by something. But what? As I neared, I realized what. _Each other.

"_How ironic if the creature that you made should prove your own undoing. Now - we finish this. Once and for all."_

_I watched, fascinated, as Raziel attacked Kain blindly, furiously. And I saw what Kain did not: the eerie green light in Raziel's eyes. I realized the cause of his impetuousness._

_ "Gods above," I breathed, "he's _possessed!"_ I knew what to expect next, but still I was startled when I saw Kain unwittingly begin to draw Raziel's soul into the Reaver._

_ "Vae Victis-" Raziel gasped._

_ "I didn't-" began Kain, but he never said just what it was he didn't do, or mean to do. With one last burst of strength, Raziel rallied, plunging his claws into Kain's chest and ripping out the Heart of Darkness. He held up the heart victoriously._

_ " 'Woe to the conquered'!" he said triumphantly. I came out of the shadows, knowing more than either of them about what was happening and what was going to happen._

_ "No, Raziel," I said, startling both him and Kain, who yet lived somehow. Raziel spun around and stared at me at my words. I spread my arms out. "You mean _in_victus – unconquerable!" I laughed, dark, hideous laughter that ripped forth from a dark place deep within me that I never knew was there, laughter that shook the columns and rattled the bones of the dead. Kain also stared at me now, but not with the shock that Raziel did. He looked at me with a sort of curious satisfaction._

_ And laughed…_

I gasped and shot upright in bed, panting and looking all around as though thinking I would find Kain and Raziel there with me. But there was no one. I had only been asleep for about half an hour, and I was still tired. Slowly I took some deep meditative breaths and calmed myself, pushing my sweaty hair out of my eyes before lying back down and closing my eyes again. I kept opening them again and again, looking for something I knew was not there. Finally sleep came again, and the dreams returned.

_ I was surprised that I wasn't sneezing. The library was thickly coated in dust. Strange how I didn't wonder how I had gotten here. I only wondered at the hollow feeling and faint burning pain in my chest. It seemed to be drawing me somewhere, so I followed. I found myself drawn to the garden. Such a beautiful garden, though it desperately needed the touch of a loving hand to reach its full potential. This place was so familiar. Had I been here before? I wanted to stop and look around, but the burning pain was stronger now, and I was compelled to follow it. I followed down the winding paths and into a dank crypt. The strange door opened when I just touched it, and I followed the trail of blood droplets down the winding stairs. Every so often the burning pain flared up stronger still all of a sudden before dying down again to a throbbing ache. When I reached the bottom of the stairs and found the antechamber, I realized why. Raziel was there, carrying the Heart of Darkness, and out of nervousness, or anticipation, or maybe just frustration, I didn't know, but he kept squeezing the Heart at random moments. And suddenly I knew why it was I was feeling pain, and why it had become so strong now that I was near him. The heart Raziel carried was _mine._ And when he squeezed it…_

…agony.


	5. Chapter V

**A/N:** OK, some of my reviews are bugging me more than my fic is bugging the reviewers. Things like: **jamie** - "right, 'cause we haven't seen anything as cliche as this before. -.-." and **Vampiric Soul** - "I do belive i hear a Mary-Sue" are not helpful in the least. If you take the time to review, do us all a favour and tell me what you think can make my fic better instead of just telling me how much it sucks, all right? It's hurtful to me, and a waste of both our time. And I'm trying to avoid Mary-Suedom, so tell me how I can do that too.

Chapter V

_A richly accented voice whispered gently, "As darkness falls, Night unfolds ebon wings to wrap the world in its dark embrace."_

I opened my eyes.

I felt so strange, so weak. There was blood in my mouth, but I couldn't tell if it was mine. It didn't taste like mine – I had iron-deficiency anemia so my blood tasted like salt instead of like copper the way most people's blood tastes. I'm not kidding, this is something my doctor told me, about the way healthy blood is supposed to taste. Not wanting to think about blood right then, I simply swallowed hard and sat up. It was around five-thirty by my pentacle clock, so I crawled out of bed and stretched slowly. Pretty much all of my joints cracked loudly, but I felt nothing. Anytime I moved _something_ cracked or snapped or creaked. I just ignored it. It only sounded like it hurt.

My stomach growled loudly, and I decided to head downstairs. It was almost time for dinner and Mom would be up any minute to get me up anyway. I'd probably pass her on the stairs. However, I met someone else first. He was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.

"Fenrir!" I said. "So that's where you went to. I wondered when you didn't greet me when I got home." Fenrir didn't respond, just wagged his tail. Fenrir's my…well, my wolf, you see. I thought the name Fenrir was appropriate, seeing as how Fenrir was the wolf-monster son of Loki, Norse god of destruction and slayer of Baldur. I know it's a little odd that I have a wolf for a pet, but I found him in the woods, the sole survivor of a hunter's massacre. My family sued the hunter for hunting on our land, and I adopted Fenrir. He's blacker than night with tawny eyes and a fierce disposition. If he thinks I, or someone I care about, is in danger then he will first growl threateningly at the offender, but he will never attack without my signal, unless I'm bleeding or something. Wolves, you see, are smarter than dogs.

I smiled and knelt down to scratch him behind the ears. He made a rumbling sound of pleasure in his throat and licked at my wrist. I made a face, but still smiled. The other thing about wolves is that they have thicker saliva than dogs, making it somewhat less adorable when they lick at your hands and face. If they do at all. But I didn't care. Fenrir was my closest companion and I didn't care how messy his ways of expressing his love for me were, provided he didn't bring anything dead into the house. He knew better than that anyway.

I rose and signaled him to follow me to the kitchen, which he did, trotting by my side. He kept looking up at me in wolfish concern. He always seemed to know when something was wrong, but animals have a sense of these things. I smiled at him reassuringly. Mom was in the dining room setting the table when we came in. As usual she didn't notice me, so I just stood in the doorway waiting. She glanced up after a while and gasped in shock at seeing me there. I have the uncanny ability to just appear silently and disappear as though I was never there. It startles those who aren't prepared for it, i.e., Mom. Catching her breath, she looked up at the clock.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry! I meant to go up and get you, but I must have forgotten," she said.

"Everyone either forgets me or never knew I was there to begin with," I said indifferently.

"Don't be like that. How are you feeling?"

"Better." No point in telling her about the strange weakness I woke with, or the blood in my mouth. She would just insist that I had bitten my mouth in my sleep and the blood was mine no matter how it tasted.

"Thinking at all about your birthday party?"

"Definitely. It's going to be nice on Friday, so I want to have it out at the Falls. We could hang balloons and stuff on the tree and set up a table with snacks."

"Sounds great. Would you get the plates over there please?"

I handed her the plates and helped her with the rest of the table, preoccupied with my own thoughts of how blood had gotten into my mouth. I half didn't want to know, but the half that did want to was stronger. I've always been possessed with an insatiable curiosity. But I couldn't think of any logical explanation for blood that wasn't mine being in my mouth. Well, when you've explored the logical explanations and haven't found the right one whatever's left, no matter how unlikely, must be true. But that would mean that someone bled into my mouth while I was asleep. I could imagine Daman pulling a prank like this on me, but he wouldn't go this far. So who did that leave?

"Soul, are you listening to me?"

"What?" I asked. Mom rolled her eyes.

"I asked you if you wanted rice," she said with exaggerated patience.

"Yes, please," I said. I realized I was sitting in my chair and didn't remember having seated myself.

"Are you sure you're all right?" asked Mom. "You're not yourself. You haven't been these last few weeks."

"Exams are coming up," I mumbled. Mom just looked at me. She knew I was hiding something. "I'm fine, Mom. Really. I just have to sort some things out, is all."

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"'Fraid not," I said with an apologetic smile. "This is something I have to try and puzzle out myself. Thanks all the same." Mom looked skeptical, but nodded. There was nothing else she could do.

"Are you inviting Joe to your party?" she asked, seeking to cheer me up. I smiled, giggling a little.

"Yes," I said. "I hope he can make it."

"He'd better," said Mom in mock fierceness. I laughed outright this time. I knew she wanted me to, and I wanted to now. After dinner and declining dessert, I returned to my room and got to my homework. Fenrir came with me, lying at my feet under my desk protectively, comfortingly. His warm weight against my legs was certainly a comfort, and I smiled, rubbing his side with my toes as I worked. I didn't have much to do, and I didn't have History homework, so I was finished quickly. For a while I just sat back, relaxing, enjoying the feeling of Fenrir's breathing, his warm body pressed against my legs, lying over my perpetually cold feet. My feet and hands are always cold for some reason. I didn't care, really. I decided to take a bath, mostly to kill time before bed.

After an hour-long soak in delightfully hot, Moonlight Path-scented water under a good six inches of thick bubbles, I came out of the steam-filled bathroom. I felt much more relaxed and at ease as I put on a black silk nightgown and rubbed scented lotion on my legs. I forgot to worry about what new strange dreams sleep would bring, what new injuries would appear in the morning. I didn't care. Fenrir jumped on the bed beside me as I massaged the lotion into my long legs. He sat there for a time, just looking at me, making sure I was OK. I smiled, leaned over, and kissed his nose. He licked his nose and then mine. I laughed, finished with the lotion and went back to my private bathroom (did I mention that I had my own bathroom?) and proceeded to brush my teeth and dry my hair. That took a while, considering how thick and long my hair is. It retains a lot of water, but I didn't care. I was in no hurry. When I was finally through, I was tired and ready to go to bed. I put my homework papers in my backpack, went downstairs to kiss my family good-night (Dad and Daman had come home by now, though they hadn't been able to join Mom and me for dinner), and went to bed. Fenrir slept in my bed with me, perhaps hoping to ward off bad dreams or what- or _who_ever it was that inflicted the small lacerations on my body while I slept. A futile attempt, as it turned out, but one meant in love nonetheless.


	6. Chapter VI

**Disclaimer: **I don't own "Warriors of Ice", that belongs to Rhapsody, the band.

**A/N: **By the way, I have twelve completed chapters of this story all ready and waiting to be updated, and I update as soon as I get a new review (nudge nudge, hint hint, wink wink) OK?

Chapter VI

_I walked slowly towards the woods, silent as a shadow. I looked like a secret, white hair streaming out behind me, skirt of my nightgown blowing around my ankles, moonlight shining on my skin. I smiled as I neared the edge of the forest. It was so peaceful out tonight, not a cloud in the sky to obscure the diamond-flecked blanket of midnight-black velvet above me. The pearlescent moon shone benignly, smiling down on the sleepy world below. There were no words to describe the poetry of the night, so I did not search for any. I just stopped where I was, gazing up as the moon began to eclipse, turning blood red. Soon it was just that, a drop of red blood in the sky. I felt emotion rising in me, moved by the beauty of it all. Softly I began to sing:_

"Demons of abyss wait for my pride  
On wings of glory I'll fly brave and wild  
I'll stop your madness, your thirst for blood  
to bring them peace where love must reign…"

_"Is that a fact?"_

_I frowned and looked around, wondering who had spoken. Seeing no one, I shrugged and told myself I had imagined it. I smiled and closed my eyes, inhaling the sweet scent of the night, delighting in the blessed silence. Ah, peace. This was everything._

_A twig snapped behind me, a deafening sound in the stillness. My eyes snapped open and I spun around. Nothing there. Just the statues around in my garden, outside of which I now stood. Wait. One of them looked…wrong. The statues were all marble, but this one, one I had never seen before, seemed to be carved of cracked and impure jade, or corroded copper like the Statue of Liberty. Curious, I drew nearer, but only slightly. I didn't want to be too close to it. Its golden eyes gave off an eerie glow. Too lifelike. I shivered slightly, though was a warm night. This statue made me nervous. It was almost as if it could come to life at any moment and tear into me with its strange cloven, clawed hands. Wait a minute, cloven hands? If I didn't know any better, I'd swear this was…_

_The statue grinned at me, and I realized just what I was facing._

_"_Kain!_ No!" I gasped, stumbling back. "It can't be!"_

_"And yet it is," replied the "statue", walking towards me._

_"It's not possible!"_

_"Not _probable_."_

_I didn't know what to do. It's difficult to be reasonable when you're faced with a character who, by your world's standards of reality, shouldn't exist and who you know to be a ruthless, inhuman, literally bloodthirsty dictator from another world. Taking all this into consideration, I did the most intelligible thing I could do._

_I ran for my bloody life!_

_Desperate, terrified, I bolted towards the woods, knowing Kain was following me and that he was much faster than me. Thorn bushes tore cruelly at my bare arms, twigs scraped at my feet, low-hanging braches swung in my face, but still I ran on. I cried out as my long hair got tangled in a tall shrub, but I pulled free quickly. I reached the base of Hangman's Falls and had to stop to catch my breath. My nightgown was torn, my arms were bleeding a little from various small cuts and scratches, but the damage seemed minimal. I was lucky, I suppose. Then I felt the screaming pain in my left foot. Leaning against the gnarled black tree, I examined the sole of my foot. There was a shard of broken glass stuck deep in the skin. I groaned. I couldn't walk back with it there, but I didn't know if pulling it out was the best idea either, as that would leave the wound open completely to whatever else there was to step in on the forest floor. Not a pleasant thought. Closing my eyes, I grasped the shard and yanked as hard as I could. I had to bite down on my lip to keep from crying out, but the glass came free with a sickly _shiiiick_. Still leaning against the tree, I ripped off a piece of my skirt near the bottom. Carefully I sat down and slid over to the edge of the crystalline river. The water came from a spring, so it was fresh and reasonably pure. I bathed my throbbing foot in the icy waters, shivering and then relaxing as the pain numbed. That done, I wrapped the piece of my skirt around my foot tightly, in an effort to protect the gash and stanch the blood flow. I rose and gingerly applied pressure to my foot. It didn't hurt much, so I rested the rest of my weight on it. Uncomfortable, yes, but I could stand and walk._

_"Hmm. Very resourceful."_

_I spun around. Kain stood before me, watching me. I stumbled back, nearly falling into the river. That gave me an idea. I backed up into the river, shuddering as it swirled around my ankles._

_"Stay away from me!" I warned. I remembered how water's touch was acidic to vampires from Nosgoth, and hoped that this maneuver might deter Kain, at least for a moment. Hah. He just smirked at me and an instant later I was standing right in front of him with him between me and the river._

_"Oh-" I said, but never got to what was supposed to follow the "Oh". I can assure you, it wasn't "dearie me". Faster than I could blink, Kain had laid hold of me and had his fangs in my throat. I couldn't even draw breath to scream. Realization hit me moments before I hit the ground. But Kain wasn't finished with me yet. Kneeling beside me, he lifted my head and I saw that his wrist was bleeding. My stomach turned over and I tried to turn my head away._

_"No," I said weakly, hardly able to hear myself. Kain didn't respond, just held my head still and pressed his wrist against my mouth. I closed my eyes, trying to shut out what was happening._

With a sharp gasp I shot up in bed, looking all around frantically, looking at my arms and legs, feeling my face for cuts of any kind. When I found none, I calmed slightly. Fenrir came over to me, concerned. I caught my breath and smiled weakly at him.

"It's all right. I'm OK," I told him, but he wasn't convinced. Hell, I wasn't convinced! There was a strange taste in my mouth that I couldn't quite identify. Fenrir nudged my foot with his nose, and I gasped in pain. Wrenching my covers away, I inspected the sole of my foot. There was no bandage, but there was a huge deep gash. I gaped at it in shock.

"What in the Hell…" I whispered, reaching down towards it then jerking my hand back quickly. I realized what the taste in my mouth was and gagged, stumbling into the bathroom and spitting in the sink. Blood and saliva splattered all over the sink, but I didn't care, snatching up my toothbrush and vigorously brushing my teeth. All the while I kept thinking, _'How? How is it possible? And why? Why? Why…?'_ So many questions that needed to be answered, but I hadn't the resources to answer them. Unless the answer lay somewhere in the games…but no, I knew those games inside and out, forward and back. How could this be happening? I shook my head and rinsed out my mouth. The taste of blood now replaced by vanilla mint toothpaste, I sat on the counter and examined my foot. The gash was bad, but it shouldn't need stitches. I opened my mirror-cabinet and took out a cotton ball, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, a tube of Neosporin, medical tape, and a roll of gauze. I swabbed the injury with the peroxide first, watching it foam with mild interest. When it had dried, I carefully applied Neosporin and wrapped the gauze around my foot, securing it with the adhesive tape. That would prevent infection at least, but I still needed to show Mom or Dad. How I would explain how I had gotten the injury I wasn't sure, but they still needed to see it.

Patched up and calmed down, I sat on the edge of the sink for a moment gazing at my reflection in the mirror. Who was that girl anyway? Someone I didn't know? Who? And why did it seem that supernatural beings who didn't, supposedly, exist in this world were after her? What had she done? I shook my head wearily.

"Too many questions," I said softly, "too many questions." Sighing, I rose up, gingerly applying part of my weight to my injured foot. It didn't hurt so much now that it was wrapped up. I wanted to go to Mom and Dad right then, but it was past two in the morning. It would have to wait until tomorrow. Maybe by then I'd lose the inane notion that I had to tell them. Maybe.

"C'mon Soul, get up!"

"Wha-?" I muttered, opening my eyes. Dad stood at foot of my bed and my radio alarm was blaring at me. I groaned. It was time for school. School was the last thing I wanted to do, but I had missed too many days of school this year already. Grizzling, I rose up and stretched.

"Rise an' shine, Sleeping Beauty!" Dad said in an insufferably cheerful tone. I glared at him and he desisted. As I swung my legs over the side of my bed, Dad noticed the bandage on my foot.

"Oh, what happened?" he asked in surprise.

"Huh?" I asked thickly. I followed his gaze down to my foot. "Oh, that. I don't know. I had a dream about running through the woods and getting a shard of glass stuck in my foot, I wake up and there it is." Dad just stared at me for a moment. "Dad, stop looking at me like that. You asked, and that's what happened. I don't know. I really don't." Dad didn't look convinced, but he nodded.

"Well, I want to have a look at that when you get home, OK? And no gym today," he said. I nodded. "Good. Now get up and get dressed, you're going to be late!" I rolled my eyes, but got up. I waited for him to leave before getting dressed, of course, I took my mind off the strangeness of the dream and the injury in my foot by thinking about my party that afternoon and the upcoming three-day weekend which I would be spending all alone. Mom and Dad had grudgingly agreed to let me stay behind while they took Daman back to college (he had come down especially for my birthday). The trip would take a few days since his college was a twelve-hour drive away and Mom and Dad wanted to stop and rest the night between states. Whatever they did was just fine with me, provided I got to stay alone the whole time. If only I had known…


	7. Chapter VII

**A/N:** John-Paul - it's nice of you to say I type fast, but like I said, I have up to Chapter XII already completed and waiting for a review. I like to update only after I get a nice new review (hint). Not much excitement in this chapter I'm afraid, but there's more to come when you review. It's like magick

Chapter VII

I went through the day on autopilot, zombie-like and unresponsive. Not the best idea with NitWhite for a teacher, but it wasn't exactly my choice. I couldn't stop thinking about the dream and the throbbing in my foot that suggested that maybe it was something more. Maybe I was just a somnambulist. Somehow, though, I didn't think it was that simple, that…normal. There had to be something more, but what? For all I knew, maybe I _was _really from another world! That would be interesting, but it would also open up hundreds of new questions that I couldn't find the answers to. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a basketball whizzing straight for me. Absently, not even looking up, I caught it and tossed it back to the kids playing Knockout in front of me. I glanced up at the clock, wondering when I had gotten to gym.

_'Wow, I've been really out of it today,'_ I thought. _'I have to tell Caitlin and Brad about this_ _whole thing, maybe they can help me figure it out.'_ I tried to stop thinking about it, but I couldn't.What else was there to think about?

"The party," I muttered, "think about the party. I'll have to set up tables with drinks and snacks out there, and what do I want to wear? And music, definitely need music so we can dance. Maybe string up some coloured lights? Yeah, that would be cool, light the way for everyone. Pizza. Definitely pizza." Thinking about the party preparations that had to be made helped me to stop thinking about the dream and what it could possibly mean.

I really didn't want to go to third block with NitWhite, but I had to. Thankfully, he was one of the teachers who let us choose our own seats. He didn't want to, but he made a bet with me at the beginning of the semester and lost. I bet that I could beat him at chess and if I did he would let us choose our own seats all semester. I won. They like me in History. All but NitWhite, but that's just as well with me. I don't like him either. I don't think anyone does.

I took an inconspicuous seat in the back of the room and tried to hide behind the guy in front of me. I tried to look like I was paying attention and knew the answers to the questions asked (who the Hell cares how many members of Congress there were in 1776?) while not thinking about the dreams. NitWhite seemed to be trying to single me out as usual, so I decided to play a little game.

"Who here knows at what time the Declaration of Independence was signed?" he asked. "Anyone? Anyone at all? No?" He turned to face me. "Ah yes, Miss Reaver. You usually have an answer to everything. What time was it?"

"Do you want the textbook answer or the movie?" I asked. Several kids laughed. NitWhite frowned (nothing new).

"I told you, Miss Reaver, I do not like comedians in my classroom," he said sternly. "Do you know the answer or not?"

"I do not," I replied. "But I have a suggestion."

"And what might that be?"

"Why don't we ask _you_ questions?"

NitWhite started to retort, then paused. Smirking, he said, "Well, I don't see why not. A round of "Stump the Teacher", is it?"

"In a manner," I replied guardedly. I knew NitWhite could never resist showing off. Kids started firing questions at him, all of which he answered quickly and easily, buffing his nails on his shirt like some hotshot. I'd show him who was hot. I watched my time until there wasn't much left. The last question was mine, I made sure of it.

"If the opposite of 'pro' is 'con', what's the opposite of 'progress'?" I asked after he had answered several tough questions in a row without even thinking.

"Con…gress," he said, shooting off the answer before his brain registered the question. Just as he was about to give me his "What did I tell you about comedians?" spiel, the bell blared. Unlike most other days, this time I bolted out of there before he could tell me to stay behind. As soon as I was safely out of the classroom and lost in the throng, I shouted back, "You got _served_, Nitwit!"

"That's Nit_White!"_

I laughed and hurried along, eager to find Caitlin and Brad so I could talk to them about my dreams. My foot still hurt, but I could ignore it now. I looked over the surging sea of heads and backpacks for my friends, and finally spotted them ducking into a water fountain alcove (though whatever comes out of those fountains, most people are sure it isn't water) and looking around for me. I waved to them when they looked my way and they quickly caught up with me.

"Hey guys, what is up?" I asked. They laughed.

"Nothing much, you?" asked Brad.

"Uh," I said, wondering how to respond to this. I could tell the truth, but I didn't know if now was the best time. Caitlin seemed to sense my conflict.

"Is something wrong?" she asked in concern.

"I'll tell you at lunch, OK?" I said softly. This did nothing to ease her concern, but Caitlin nodded. The three of us continued to English/Lit. I knew Caitlin wanted to know what was going on now that she knew there _was_ something going on, but she had to wait. I didn't want anyone else to overhear.

The minutes crawled over like insects, but there was nothing we could do. Finally the bell rang, releasing us to lunch. We got our "food" from the kitchen quickly and sat at our table in the back of the cafeteria.

"OK, what's going on?" asked Caitlin immediately. So I told them, her and Brad. I told them everything. When I had finished, they just looked at me. Quietly I slipped off my sneaker and showed them the bandage around my foot.

"Ouch," commented Brad softly. I smiled and carefully replaced my shoe.

"What did your parents say?" asked Caitlin.

"Dad's the only one who saw it, and he probably figures I just cut myself in my sleep somehow. When Mom sees, she'll say the same thing. You know how they are."

"Yes, I do," muttered Caitlin derisively. I smiled.

"Be nice," said Brad. "What do you think this is?" he asked me.

"Not a clue. All I know is that I'm waking up with someone else's blood in my mouth, injuries inflicted in dreams are real, and my foot _really itches!"_ Caitlin and Brad laughed as I pulled off my sneaker and scratched irritatedly around the bandage. "It's_ not _funny," I growled through clenched teeth.

"No, Brad just poked me," Caitlin said, poking Brad. I grinned. Caitlin was extremely ticklish if you poked her in the right place. It was funny to watch her twitch, even if it did cost you a punch in the arm. Caitlin turned back to me. "So, on a lighter note, what about your party?"

"Yeah, you need any help setting up?" asked Brad.

"Nah, I'm good, but thanks," I said. "I'm gonna bring Dad's generator out there to hook up a stereo to, set up some tables with snacks, maybe string up some coloured lights. By the way, don't have dinner before you come, we're having grilled stuff. Hot dogs and hamburgers, you know." I had changed my mind about the pizza. "And be ready to dance."

"I don't like dancing," said Caitlin.

"Too bad! It's my party, and you'll dance if I want you to," I said cheerfully. Caitlin punched me playfully and I laughed. I couldn't wait for the party, though I usually hate parties.

"Ah, you can dance a little for her Cait," said Brad. "C'mon, it's her Sweet Sixteen." He smiled at me. "Tonight your life's gonna change forever."

He was wrong, actually. That happened the following night.


	8. Chapter VIII

Chapter VIII

I kept busy after school preparing for the party. I had a lot to do, and I wanted to have enough time to get dressed. Mom, Dad, and Daman were a great help, though. Dad even showed me a fuse box out in the woods where I could hook up my stereo and lights. I had plenty of time to shower, dry my hair, and dress. I was hot stuff that night, I've gotta say. I wore a ruby red Posy skirt, matching Crystal cami top, and ink-black Crow corset belt, all by Amy Brown. In addition I wore black leggings and short black boots. I decided to go with a little makeup too, and of course jewelry. A _Coeur Noir_ choker by Alchemy Gothic, an onyx pentacle slave bracelet, small silver filigree hoops in my second ear holes, and dangling silver hearts in the first holes. I thought about letting my hair hang loose, but put it in a low braid instead. By that time mine and Caitlin's other best friend Courtney and her boyfriend Nick had arrived with Hana, and Caitlin and Brad were just pulling in the driveway. As they came up to the door I saw that Joe was with them.

_'Good. The gang's all here,'_ I thought, smiling. Fenrir was as excited as a puppy with all the people arriving, especially since he knew Caitlin and Courtney well and loved them both. He may give the appearance of a stern watchdog but he loved attention.

"Hey, happy birthday Soul," said Joe as he came in with Caitlin and Brad. Fenrir bounded over to him promptly, inspecting this newcomer. "Whoa, wolf!" cried Joe, very clearly startled. I laughed.

"Sorry, I forgot to warn you about Fenrir," I said. "Don't worry about him. He won't attack until I tell him to."

"Very comforting," said Joe as Fenrir sniffed him.

"Fenrir," I said firmly. Fenrir looked back at me, head cocked to the side, listening. "It's OK, Fen. Friend," I said, pointing at Joe. At that, Fenrir turned back to Joe and jumped up on his hind legs, resting his front paws on Joe's front, licking his hands. Joe laughed and petted him. He looked up again at me. "So where's the party at?"

I smiled. "Follow me. They're waiting for us," I said mysteriously. I can be most mysterious when I wish. It really creeps some people out. I led everyone, including Fenrir, outside and around to the back of the house.

"Out in the woods?" guessed Nick.

"Right in one," I replied. "At Hangman's Falls."

"Isn't that kinda far back in the woods?" asked Courtney. I nodded. "We're walking all the way out there?"

"No," I said coolly. I stopped and turned to face them. "Do you ride?" I asked them as a whole. I received slow nods and sounds of assent. I smiled. "Good."

"Why?" asked Hana. In response, I pointed off in the distant to the stables. "Oh." She grinned. I grinned back and led everyone to the stables where five of my horses stood tacked and ready.

"Only five?" asked Caitlin, frowning. "There's seven of us."

"Well, you only count as half a person, really," I teased her. She laughed and poked me in the ribs. "I figured you and Brad can ride together and Courtney can ride with Nick. The rest of us can ride separate, unless anyone has any objections?" No one answered, just looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "Goody. Then let us away." With that I mounted my beautiful Arabian stallion, Nytemare. Nytemare was the pride of my stables, black as Fenrir with a mane and tail of pure white. I wasn't sure why, but it was beautiful. Caitlin and Courtney had ridden with me before, so they knew which horses were for them. Cait and Brad mounted Ragnarok, Courtney and Nick took Raumo (Elvish for "noise of storm"). Hana and Joe were left looking up at me for direction.

"OK, Hana, you take Mydnight, and Joe take Nuuruhuine (Elvish for "death shadow")," I said, pointing to each horse in turn. My friends nodded and mounted. When we were all set, I whistled to Fenrir and directed Nytemare towards the woods. The other horses fell into step behind me. I noticed Caitlin, who was in front of Brad, holding Ragnarok back a little so Joe could go in front of them behind me. I smiled, watching as she took up the rear.

"Thanks," I mouthed. She just smiled and nodded. I turned back around to face forwards. I didn't want to ride into a low-hanging tree branch or something and look stupid in front of Joe.

"This is kinda creepy," said Joe appreciatively. "Where are we going?"

"Into the Dark Black Forest," I said mysteriously, grinning back at him. He laughed.

"Well, it's getting kinda dark," he pointed out.

"Don't worry. Even if we can't see, the horses know the way. Besides, it shouldn't be long…ah, there we go." There were softly coloured lights burning off in the distance. I directed Nytemare towards them and the others followed suit. I glanced back to see my friends looking all around. The forest was dark, making it all the more…_enchanting_, I think is the word, to see coloured lights seemingly hanging in midair like faeries or drops of magick. It was beautiful. It really was.

We finally came upon the falls and my family members. Dad had food on the grill, Daman was loading my stereo, and Mom was putting the finishing touches on the snack table. They all looked up when they heard the horses.

"Welcome, all!" cried Mom amiably. "Welcome to the heart of Stryker's Woods, where dreams are made real and spirits haunt the air." I laughed and slid off Nytemare's back, leading him to the river's edge.

"Mother, dear, you do _not_ want my dreams to be made real while you're still around," I said coolly. "They would turn your head around." Mom just laughed as my friends led their horses to join Nytemare. That done, I slipped into the trees for a moment, returning to drape my leggings, which I had removed to reveal spiderweb tights, over a tree branch. Grinning, I turned to face the group.

"Let's party!" On cue, Daman hit the music, turning the volume up way loud. We were far back in the deep woods and we didn't have neighbors, so the odds of someone calling the police to report the noise were slim. We all started to dance, spinning, jumping, pumping our fists in the air wildly, shrieking and laughing crazily. Daman joined in, and by and by Mom and Dad did the same. They couldn't really dance to our music, but you have to give them points for trying. We danced to a bunch of fast, hard rock songs before a slow song finally came up. Brad and Caitlin slipped into each other's arms, revolving slowly to the music. Courtney and Nick did the same, as did, to my mild surprise, Mom and Dad. Daman started dancing with Hana, leaving me and Joe to pair up. I knew I was blushing furiously as he approached. I liked him a lot, there's no question of that. I knew he liked me too, but it was still awkward for me, having never been in a relationship before. Not in this life, anyway. Joe slowly put his hands on my waist, and I put my hands on his shoulders. More than anything I wanted to be close to him, pressed against him like Caitlin and Brad, and Courtney and Nick. But I didn't. We had never been that close before, physically, though we were close emotionally. My eyes met his, then quickly dropped to the ground. I heard him make an amused sound in his throat, and the pressure of his hands on my waist increased as he pulled me closer. I was surprised, but didn't pull away. I leaned into him, sliding my arms around his neck, resting my head against his shoulder. He smelled nice. I wondered if he was wearing cologne, or Axe or something. He leaned his head against mine and I smiled.

"Soul," he breathed into my ear. "I really like you."

"Is that so?" I asked. "Well I really like you too." He laughed softly, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling. I had never slow-danced with anyone before, and I like it. I saw a flash behind my eyelids and opened my eyes. Mom had taken a picture of me and Joe. I saw my other friends all smiling at me. I just laughed deep in my throat and closed my eyes again. All too soon, the song ended, but by that time we were all tired and hungry. Dad served charbroiled hamburgers and hot dogs and barbecued chicken and we all sat down on a blanket by the water's edge and ate.

"So what now?" asked Hana when everyone had finished.

"Karaoke?" suggested Courtney. Surprisingly, everyone agreed.

"I vote the birthday girl goes first!" piped up Caitlin. I protested, but I was grossly outnumbered by those who agreed with Caitlin. Laughing, I raised my hands in gesture of surrender and rose. Daman had had the foresight to bring my karaoke machine out with him, so I hooked that up and selected one of my special karaoke CDs. I wasn't sure of what to sing, considering I was a soprano one and pop music wasn't really my best material. But I was afraid I would get laughed at if I sang Broadway or something.

_'Ah, screw it,'_ I thought. _'If they laugh, they suck.'_ I selected a CD and popped it in the player. "Holding Out For A Hero" played and I sang, closing my eyes so I wouldn't have to see Joe looking at me. I could feel the forest melt around me as the music took me somewhere else, somewhere I went whenever I sang. As the song came to an end, I slowly returned to the woods, opening my eyes and gazing off in the distance in a strange sort of reverie. I noticed a flash of bright blue off in the trees, but unfortunately I blinked just as I saw it and it was gone. Strange, though, it had a humanoid shape. I could swear I had seen it before…

"Wow, you're really good."

"Huh?" I looked back at my friends. "Oh. Thanks." Joe had spoken, and I blushed again, putting down the mike and going back to the picnic blanket. Courtney sang after me, then insisted we sing "Angel of Music" together. Afterwards she made me sing "Think of Me" solo, but I didn't mind. I hoped that maybe I'd see that blue figure again, but I didn't. I was startled to find myself feeling bereft, but I suppressed it. Mom suggested that I open my presents then, bringing me back from my dream-world. I nodded and sat down again. I got some really great stuff from everyone, not the least of which being a mad expensive Modus Quintus chalice from Daman. Gothic jewelry and clothes, video games, CDs, DVDs, a kickass leather jacket with zippers and chains on the front…so many wonderful, generous gifts. Finally the substantial pile was whittled away. I was about to suggest more dancing when Joe spoke.

"There's one more." He held out a box wrapped in glittery black paper with a blood red ribbon tied around it. I hadn't expected a present from Joe, so I took it quietly, untying the ribbon with great care and trying not to tear the pretty paper. I gasped when I saw what lay within the box I had opened: a beautiful silver circlet with moonstones and silver filigree scrollwork, with one large scrollwork at the front and several smaller ones dangling from silver chains. I didn't – _couldn't_ – speak for a time. I just stared at the beautiful gift in my hands. Finally I looked up at Joe again. He smiled at my open-mouthed reaction.

"Here, let me," he said, gently taking the circlet from my hands and placing it on my head. "Oh, that's beautiful. It looks even better on you than I hoped."

"Joe…" I said softly. "Thank you. Thank you so much. It's beautiful." Joe just smiled. After a slightly awkward moment of silence, Daman took the liberty of turning the music back on. We all rose, one by one, and started dancing again. We danced most of the night away, taking a break to have cake. Needless to say we were all exhausted by the end of it, and I was very glad to have Nytemare and my other horses to carry us home. More so, I was glad that Nytemare knew the way as well as I did so I wouldn't have to direct him. After replacing my leggings, I lay across his neck the whole ride back, starting slightly when he shook his head to get my attention. Tiredly I slid off Nytemare's back, turning to see my friends doing the same. I smiled when I saw Brad lifting Caitlin down into his arms. There were cars and parents waiting in the driveway, so we made our way there. I waved good-bye to my friends, thanking them for coming and for the great gifts they had given me. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see Joe standing next to me.

"Happy birthday Soul," he said softly. Then, without warning, he leaned forward and kissed my cheek, hurrying away with a bright red face afterwards. I stood watching after him a long time after he left. Then I started laughing. I don't know why I laughed, but I was just so happy. Forgetting the weakness in my legs and the general fatigue from so much dancing and excitement, I started dancing again, jumping and spinning, laughing wildly. Mom, Dad, and Daman all smiled when they saw me like that. At least they're last memory of me would be a good one.


	9. Chapter IX

Chapter IX

I fell asleep immediately after lying down and for once there were no dreams. Well, not any visual dreams anyway. All night I heard strange voices in the darkness of sleep, voices I knew but had forgotten, voices that knew me and remembered. All night long I heard them, arguing, shouting, laughing, taunting, begging, screaming, wailing. And all night long two voices repeated the same things over and over in the caliginous gloom:

_"Only you can save us all. You must return."_

**"You are nothing! We shall destroy you!"**

I decidedly did _not_ like the second voice and very much liked the first. It was soft and gentle with an unplaceable accent, and managed to convey urgency without sounding desperate. The most maddening thing about the whole damned situation was that I _knew_ these voices and yet I couldn't place them. I was sure that I would slap myself in the head when I found out who they belonged to, but in the meantime I was tearing my hair out.

Relief came at around six in the morning when Mom, Dad, and Daman came in to say good-bye before they left for North Carolina where Daman went to college. I got up and watched them leave from my observatory before going back to sleep for a few hours. I woke again at about ten-thirty and got up. The day passed uneventfully. I did some housework, played with Fenrir, went for a long ride in the woods with Nytemare, and wrote some stories. Midway through an original fiction based on a strange dream I had had a while ago, I got a great idea. I decided to watch all three "Lord of the Rings" extended movies together. I had always wanted to, and now I had the opportunity. It was late, so I heated up the special dinner Mom had left for me – tilapia with lemon-butter sauce and capers, my favourite – and settled myself in the den to watch. The fish tasted a little funny, but I just put it down to a little too much lemon juice in the sauce and ignored it. I managed to get through all of "Fellowship of the Ring" before I started feeling strange, and not in a good way. I was getting really hot, even though the sliding glass door was open with the screen door closed to let in the cool night air, hoping it would make me feel better. No such luck. My head was spinning and I felt nauseas, feverish and groggy. I wondered if the tilapia had gone bad or something. I got my answer soon enough. I'm just thankful I managed to make it to the hall bathroom before my stomach turned itself inside out.

I don't know how long I stayed there 'praying to the porcelain god', to put it as tastefully as possible, but it was long enough to make me vow never to eat again. I didn't mean it and I knew that, but that's just the kind of thing you find yourself saying in these situations.

Bile stung my throat and the roof of my mouth as my emptied stomach started pumping out stomach acid, having nothing else left. Everything was spinning all around me when I finally stopped and managed to get up. I could hardly stand. The room moved when I moved, the floor bouncing up and down with every step I took like one of those inflatable Bounce-Arounds that you see at little kids' parties. There was a bright red film in front of everything I saw, making me even dizzier. I stumbled down the hall, trying to make it to the stairs up to my room. The hallway lurched forwards and the ground rushed up to meet me. It actually took me a moment to realize I had collapsed. I groaned and turned on my back, staring up at the ceiling. Light from the full moon washed over me through the huge windows along the winding stairs. The moon was beautiful that night, an orb of silver glass nestled in a bed of black velvet.

"Oh…" I said softly and without meaning to. "Oh, I thought it was real." I wondered what I meant, then just tried not to think about it. All of a sudden, my notes from Convenience Foods class on food-related illnesses came rushing back to me in Mrs. Hults's voice:

"The worst kinds of food poisoning are salmonella, E. coli, botulism, and toxoplasma. Salmonella is usually transmitted through raw eggs, which is why I don't want any of you eating raw cooky dough, and undercooked or contaminated meats. Often it requires hospitalization, and the symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps."

I groaned. The tilapia. Something was wrong with the tilapia, and now I had food poisoning and possibly salmonella. I knew I should call my parents, much good may it do me, but I couldn't even get up off the floor, my stomach hurt so badly. I actually looked down to see if there were knives stuck in me. That's what it felt like. I closed my eyes, trying to think about anything other than the pain and sickness I felt. It was difficult, as the pain was very strong. No matter what thoughts I conjured up to block it out, it always came rushing back full force. I heard a strange sort of whining noise, and then I realized it was me. I bit my lower lip so hard it started to bleed freely, blood mixing with bile in my mouth and burning down my throat. I gagged, but couldn't do anything about it.

The grandfather clock down the hall struck eight-thirty (yes, our clock strikes on the half hour too). I had been lying here for at least twenty minutes without even realizing it. Then I realized something else: Fenrir was nowhere near. That was strange, as he always knew when I was sick and came to me immediately. I started to call him, but then I heard a rustling sound off to my left. I assumed it was Fen and didn't say anything.

"What in Perdition happened to you?"

I froze. Dogs – and wolves – do not speak in human voices…do they? Well, I've never heard one before, and I think that if Fenrir could speak he would have by now. But there was no one else in the house but me. So who was in my house and how did they get there? And why did I know that voice…?

I felt a cold, somewhat rough hand brush my bare arm and shivered, trying to pull away. Unfortunately, even such a slight movement caused daggers of pain to impale my stomach again. I cried out, squeezing my eyes shut tighter.

"Be still, I'm not going to hurt you."

That voice…I _knew_ I knew that voice, and I knew that the answer was so obvious, but I still couldn't figure it out. There was only one way to know. Slowly I forced my eyes open again, trying to discern something, anything, through the redness. Though I couldn't make out his features very well, I saw a dark-haired man kneeling next to me, a cowl wrapped around the lower half of his face. He said nothing, just held out his hands over me.

"Wait, what are you…" I began hoarsely, but I didn't get the chance to finish. An alien, but not unpleasant, warmth was spreading through me, taking away the pain and purging the illness. I drew in a long deep breath and let it out in an equally long sigh. The sickness was gone, leaving me feeling only a little tired and hungry. The redness was gone from my vision, but everything seemed darker all of a sudden, as though the moon had gone out. The figure next to me nodded to himself in satisfaction, shifted his position, and reached for me again, lifting me up in his arms. I felt a thrill go through me, a frightened sort of excitement. There was something about this man that made me feel safe, somehow. I couldn't even explain it to myself, but I felt like everything would be all right as long as he was near me. I tried to get a better look at his features, but the room suddenly began to spin around us, though we weren't moving. I made a funny sound and closed my eyes. When I opened them a moment later, we were standing next to my bed. The curtains opened by themselves and the figure laid me down on my bed. I looked up at him curiously, wondering what he was doing, what he was going to do. He placed one hand on my forehead.

"Sleep," he said softly, and instantly fatigue filled me. I struggled to hold on to consciousness just for a moment longer, trying to figure out why I knew this man, why he apparently knew me. But sleep was taking hold of me quickly. My hand moved across the bed, reaching out to him. Though I couldn't see his mouth, I could swear he was smiling as he placed his hand over mine. It was then that I noticed something rather off-putting. I tried to speak, but only managed to get two words out:

_"Rakkalepta_(1)_ Fea-Mat_(2)_."_ Then darkness consumed my vision and I knew no more.

Elvish- (1) claw-fingered

(2) lit. spirit-eat(er)


	10. Chapter X

**Disclaimer**: I don't own "Into the West".

Chapter X

_Someone was crying. Crying like a lost soul. The saddest sound I've ever heard. I went towards it, following the dark, dank corridors that seemed to have no end. Finally I saw him: the most handsome young man I've ever seen. His longish hair was midnight-black, his skin pale tan. I couldn't see what colour his eyes were, as his face was hidden in his arms. He lay on his side in a fetal position, shaking like an aspen leaf, sobbing. Obviously he had suffered great abuse, both mental and physical from the evil-looking scars on his bare back. The very sight of them made me wince. Still, the soft moonlight was kind to him, outlining the cuts of his well-defined muscles. _

_Curious and compassionate, I approached him slowly, trying to make some slight noise so he'd know I was there. He must have heard me, for he tensed, drawing into himself._

_"Please…just leave me alone," he whispered. Tears stung my eyes, but I didn't know why. I felt a tugging in my heart, a strange attraction to him like an old love long forgotten but never ended trying to make itself known. I drew nearer slowly, trying to make my footsteps light. My heavy black cloak swished around my bare ankles as I approached. When I was close enough, I took it off and gently laid it over him. He shuddered slightly, though the red silk lining was warm from the heat of my body, but slowly stilled. He didn't turn to face me, though._

_"I'm not going to hurt you," I said as gently as possible. He didn't answer, but I don't think he believed me. I heard a humming sound, and realized it was me. Words came to my mind and slipped through my lips:  
_

"Lay down 

Your sweet and weary head. 

Night is falling 

You have come to journey's end.  
Sleep now,  
dream of the ones who came before.  
They are calling  
from across the distant shore.

Why do you weep?  
What are these tears upon your face?  
Soon you will see  
all of your fears will pass away. 

Safe in my arms;  
you're only sleeping.

What can you see on the horizon?  
Why do the white gulls call?  
Across the sea a pale moon rises.  
The ships have come to carry you home.  
And all will turn  
to silver glass.  
A light on the water,  
all souls pass. Hope fades  
into the world of Night.  
Through shadows falling  
out of memory and Time. 

Don't say  
we have come now to the end.  
White shores are calling.You and I will meet again

And you'll be here in my arms,  
just sleeping. 

What can you see on the horizon?  
Why do the white gulls call?  
Across the sea a pale moon rises  
The ships have come to carry you home.  
And all will turn  
to silver glass.  
A light on the water,  
grey ships pass

Into the West."

_I thought I sounded like I had a bad cold, but either the man before me didn't think so or didn't care, because he stopped shaking and relaxed slowly, turning over to look at me. I smiled at him as gently as I could, trying to make him believe what I had said about not intending to harm him. He returned the smile after a moment, and my own widened a little. I straightened and offered him my hand, which he accepted, allowing me to help him to his feet. He offered me back my cloak, but as I reached to take it I heard dark, sinister laughter somewhere near. I spun towards it, automatically taking a defensive stance. My eyes darted around for the source of the laughter, a weapon, or both. I found a weapon first, an embellished pike on a wall nearby, seized it, and resumed looking for the source of that hateful laughter. It sounded again, this time from somewhere behind me, and I spun to face it again. Then a thought came to me, and I looked straight up. Just as I suspected, there was a dark shape standing on a rafter high above us – the pale man and myself. He – the figure – laughed yet again._

_"All right for you, you pretentious coward!" I challenged. "Come down and face me like a real man!" Again that irksome laugh. "All right, so maybe you're not a coward, just stupid." _That_ got the figure's attention. He jumped off the beam he balanced on, executed a series of complicated-looking flips and turns in the air that I could do in gymnastics when by the time I was six, and landed almost soundlessly in the shadows before me. I snorted. "Huh, that was almost impressive," I commented dryly. _

_"You need to learn some respect, child," the figure snarled._

_"I give it to those who deserve or earn it," I replied coolly. The figure tensed, as though to attack, but I readied the pike in my hands. "Make one false move and I'll shove this pike so far up your ass it'll come out your mouth, I swear," I growled. The figure appeared startled, then thoughtful, regarding me slowly, appraisingly. I didn't like it. "Lose something?"_

_"Actually, yes," he replied. "Him." he pointed to the black-haired young man next to me, who stepped back nervously. I glanced at him, and was shocked to realize I knew who he was, but in a completely different form._

"Raziel!"_ I cried. "But-but how? You're…alive!"_

_"You noticed that, huh?" he replied dully. I suddenly realized that this meant that the silhouette in front of me could only be one person, and that I was wrong to have called him a man._

_"Kain," I said, turning back to him. "I should've known. No other creature could possibly be so arrogant." Kain only laughed, as though I had complimented him._

_"Actually, your being here makes things a lot simpler for me," he said conversationally._

_"Yeah, 'cus that's my goal in life," I said derisively. "Screw you, I'm outta here."_

The dream evaporated like a stain of breath on a mirror. After a series of extremely graphic and disturbing nightmares when I was little, I trained myself to wake up in the middle of a dream I didn't want to continue. I felt good. Better than good, great really. I couldn't remember the last time I had felt so well-rested, even after a strange dream like that. I wondered if it had anything to do with that strange "visitor" I had had last night…wait.

"Oh, ye gods," I whispered. "Could it have been…? Well, I know what I'd like to believe, but was it really? But why? How? What the Hell is going on?" The phone rang, startling me out of my conversation with myself. I reached out and picked it up.

"City Morgue, you kill 'em, we chill 'em!" I said brightly.

"That never gets old," came Caitlin's voice. I grinned. "So what's up?"

"I am, apparently, " I said. "I had the weirdest dream last night."

"Yeah, me too," said Caitlin.

"What about?"

"I saw us, you, me, Courtney, Brad, Joe, Nick, and Hana, all at those Pillars from your games. You were, like, dead or something, 'cus you were just lying on the ground and you weren't moving. And there were these two freaky dudes fighting over you or something."

"What did they look like?"

"Not sure how to describe them. One was really skinny and his sword looked like it was attached to his arm. The other looked like a Muppet reject."

"Wait, was the Muppet reject-looking guy scary beyond all reason?"

"Oh yeah."

"That's Kain and Raziel."

"Should'a guessed."

"Uh-huh."

Silence. I couldn't even hear the sound of my own breathing. I wondered what to tell Caitlin, what she would make of what happened last night. I was certain she'd believe me, there was no doubt about that, but what would she believe? 'Yeah Cait, and speaking of, I should probably tell you that I got salmonella last night and the only reason I don't have my head in the toilet right now is because Raziel showed up out of the blue, if you'll pardon the pun, and healed me'.

"Whoa, that's some weird shit."

Oh dear, did I say that out loud?

"Hey, are you OK?"

"Peachy."

"Bull."

"Well what do you want me to say? Physically, I actually am peachy. I feel great, if a little confused. Mentally, I don't know. I'm not sure what to believe anymore."

"Do you doubt your own senses?"

"Cait, I had my head in the toilet for over half an hour last night. I don't know."

"Then how did you end up in your own bed if you collapsed in the hallway?"

"Good point." I would have said more, but I heard something; a loud crash from my library.

"What was that?"

"I don't know. Hang on a sec, I'm switching to headset phone." I grabbed my phone headset, plugged it into the phone, slid it on my head, and clipped the phone to my belt, which I was still wearing from the day before. "Are you there? Can you hear me?"

"Roger, Cap'n."

"Very funny." My voice was a whisper now. "Don't talk for a little while; I'm going to check this out." I could almost see Caitlin nod as I made my way as silently as I could down the stairs and into my labyrinth of bookshelves below. I hoped that whatever had assumedly broken, it wasn't irreplaceable or particularly sentimental. Turning a corner slowly, I saw fragments of broken glass and crushed roses on the floor in a pool of water. I sighed and relaxed. All that had broken was a cheap glass vase that I had gotten on sale at Wal-Mart last week. Well, there was one less thing to worry about. But how had it broken? It couldn't just have fallen off my desk where it sat, I had it pushed far back specifically to avoid such an incident. So how had it fallen?

I approached cautiously, not wanting to get another shard of glass stuck in my foot. I picked up the biggest pieces and the roses, resolving to vacuum up the rest as soon as I had figured out what had happened. Having forgotten I still had the headset on, the sound of Caitlin's voice in my ear nearly gave me a heart attack:

"Soul? Hey Moony, are you there? What happened?"

I put my hand over my heart, trying to catch my breath. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I don't know what happened, my vase is broken. Y'know, the one on my desk with the roses."

"Yeah, I know. How'd it break?"

"Dunno. I'm just trying to get up as much of the glass as I can."

"Good idea. Hey, you OK? You sound kinda funny."

"Funny as in ha-ha, or funny as in strange?"

"Strange."

"I'm OK. I'm just kinda jumpy is all. I don't know why. Listen, you want to come over? I feel kinda uneasy, and I don't really want to be alone."

"Sure thing. Hang on, I'll ask Mom."

I heard her voice in the background as she called to her mom. Fenrir appeared out of nowhere, as was his habit and mine, and nosed at the pool. He looked up at me questioningly.

"I don't know what happened, boy," I said, shrugging. "It just broke." Fen seemed satisfied with this, but something was putting him on edge. I could feel it too: the crescent on my forehead was tingling like crazy, and that almost without exception meant that something was wrong. There was a strange disturbance in the aura of the room as well. Fenrir looked up at me, knowing what I felt, then suddenly took an attack stance, growling, hackles raised, at something behind me.

"Fen, what's the matter?" I asked, a little scared. I had never seen him like this before, and for the first time in a long time I felt truly alone and afraid. I knew what was the matter. I was in danger. I reached slowly for the birthday present Daman had given me – an Elvish-styled sword, fully functional and sharper than the broken glass on the floor – but someone grabbed my arm from behind. I made a strange sound, a sort of strangled half-cough, as another hand roughly yanked the headset off my head. I started to shout, but that hand clamped itself over my mouth as I was pulled back against someone's chest as his arm pinned me there.

"Moon? Moony? Soul, what's wrong? Soul, answer me. What the Hell is going on? Soul!"

Caitlin's voice was so far away, yet it was so close. If I could just make a sound, if I could just bend down two feet and grab the headset…as though sensing these thoughts, the owner of the hand gagging me tightened it. One-quarter angry and three-quarters terrified for my life, I bit the offending appendage as hard as I could. It was removed quickly.

"Fenrir, attack!" I shouted, hoping Caitlin would hear. She knew that if I was giving Fen an attack command that something was truly wrong and I was in serious danger. She did hear, because I heard her distant, "Oh my God, Mom, Soul's in trouble!" from the headset on the floor. I gagged as that hand again tightened around my throat.

" 'Scary beyond all reason', am I?" growled an unmistakable voice. The last sound Caitlin or I ever heard was my heart-shattering scream. Then the universe ripped apart.


	11. Chapter XI

Chapter XI

_Pulled in all directions, voices shouting all around, white hot fire, burning flesh, burning hair, blood in my eyes, '_I'm being ripped apart!' _Where's my room, where's Fenrir, where's my _world?_ Screaming in silence, deafening silence, _someone please make it all

_"STOP!"_

I shot upright, chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath, looking all around like a frightened rabbit. My vision…something was horribly wrong with my vision. Out of my right eye I could see my library, the desk, my room, all things I knew. But out of my left eye I saw the Pillars of Nosgoth, surrounded by burning wasteland and ruin. I screamed and closed my eyes tightly, clutching at them, trying to pull them out of my head.

"No don't, you'll hurt yourself."

My head snapped up at the sound of this alien voice. For a fleeting instant I hoped it was Raziel, but this was not so and I knew it. My vision settled on the Pillars, and a bald robed man now stood bent over me in concern. Upon seeing my recovery, he smiled and straightened with the grandeur of one who considers himself under-appreciated but knows he isn't.

"Ah good, you seem to have recovered," he said with a nod. "Please let me be the first to welcome you back to Nosgoth. I am Moebius the Time-Streamer."

"Of _course _you are," I said, sitting up slowly. "What am I doing here? How the hell did I get here? Why welcome me back to a place I never left? This place doesn't even _exist!__"_

"Are you so certain of everything?" he asked. "What if I were to tell you that the world you knew doesn't exist?"

"It does," I said flatly, even though I was somehow inclined to believe him. "I've been living there for the past sixteen years."

"It hasn't been so long, really. Those memories are all fabricated, except for the past year."

"What are you rambling about, you old kook?" I rose unsteadily to my feet, but struck Moebius's hand away when he reached to steady me. "What am I doing here?"

"Whether you like it or not, you've lived here all your life even if you don't remember it now. There's a war raging, as you must know, a war between races."

"Yes, humans and vampires. But what does _your_ war have to do with me?"

"_My_ war?"

"Yes, _your_ war. It was _you_ who incited all this, tricking Kain into slaying William the Just and so starting a genocide against the vampires. And again, what does _your_ war have to do with me?"

"Everything. You see, a war isn't started over just one incident. It is comprised of many different smaller battles. True, the most well known battle is the genocide that I did indeed start – glorious, isn't it? - but that is not the most important one. The most important battle is actually among the vampires themselves. And it's all centered around you."

_"Me!"_

"Yes, you. There are many sides to this battle: those who would destroy you, those who would protect and hide you, those who would use you for their own ends."

"You're not making any sense. Use me for what? How?"

"You do not wish to know these things." He held out his hand to help me up. I glared at him and rose on my own without even pushing myself up.

"Funny, because I usually ask questions when I want to know something," I said coldly. "After all I've gone through lately, I think I deserve to know."

"You would. But these things are not for you."

"A plague on your drivel, old man! They're _about_ me! If you won't tell me, I'll just have to find someone who will."

"That's not very likely."

"Bite me."

He didn't. Instead he slapped me hard across the right side of my face. I stood perfectly still for a moment, my face turned to the side. Then, slowly, I turned to face him again, regarded him for a moment, then turned my head to present him with a clear view of my left cheek and tapped it lightly. He stared at me.

Matthew 5:38-39.

I didn't know what impact Biblical insults would have here, but it was all the more amusing for me if he didn't know he was being insulted. I tried to grin insolently, something I'm particularly good at, but all I managed was a grim, twisted mockery of a smile. Still, it made Moebius step back a few paces, so at least I had scared him or something. I was glad. I didn't like him. He glared at me and approached again.

"Don't come any nearer," I said in a low voice, my eyes narrowed.

"Or you'll what?" sneered Moebius. I scowled at him, but unfortunately he had a point. I had no weapon. At least, I didn't have a conventional weapon…quick as a flash, I lashed him with the only thing available to me – my black leather belt, triple-studded with metal pyramid studs. Not much, but pretty damn painful since I cracked him one good. He screamed, dropped his staff, and stumbled back. I grabbed the staff and held it out warningly. Having recovered himself, he gawked at me when he saw me wielding his staff.

"Give me that!" he cried. "You damned fool, you don't know what damage that can do!"

"Oh, but I do," I said softly. "And even if I didn't, just seeing the fear in your face would be enough to tell me I should hang on to it." He grabbed for me, but I danced back and smacked his hand with the staff. "Naughty, naughty. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

"I'll tear you to pieces!" he shouted, drawing a sword I hadn't noticed he had before and attacking. I cried out, screaming out a word I couldn't hear but burned with such power that my mouth grew hot. There was a blinding burst of light and Moebius was blasted back. I gasped, trying to cool my mouth. Moebius climbed to his feet, staring at me in a mixture of shock and horror. With a growl, he vanished. I knew him too well to think that he was gone. I spun around, readying myself for another assault, but he wasn't there. My eyes darted all around. Nothing. I was alone, though I wasn't sure if that was for better or worse, all things considered. Suddenly the moon-scar on my forehead began to tingle and itch. I spun around instinctively, and caught a flash of colour. I was blasted from behind with a burst of energy and fell forward.

"OH NO YOU DON'T, YOU BASTARD!"

"I know that voice," I mumbled to myself, pushing myself up and turning around. There was a skeletal blue figure battling Moebius. Blue…? "Raziel." I wasn't thinking clearly anymore, my head pounding, my hand gripping the staff so tightly blood was starting to appear in tiny pinpricks around my nails. I didn't care. I just watched Raziel, fascinated by his graceful movements. His swordplay was almost like a dance. Without warning, he turned to me and grabbed me hand, pulling me along with him as he ran.

"Come on…move…come _on."_

I was still in a daze, allowing him to yank me more freely. I started running alongside him, not through my own volition, but because I couldn't do anything else. He pulled me with him deep into a mountain pass, slinging me unceremoniously over his shoulder when it became necessary for him to scale a wall that no human could climb. Once at the top, he gently placed me down on the stone and stood regarding me. The daze evaporated like morning mist in the dawn and I found my voice.

"What in the name of Hell is going on here!" I demanded shakily. "Oh, and thanks for saving me. But _what's going on?_ You, Moebius, this place, none of it should even exist!"

"No, child, you have it backwards," he said gently, kneeling in front of me. "It is your world that shouldn't exist."


	12. Chapter XII

Chapter XII

"Wh-what?" I stammered. Moebius had told me pretty much the same thing, but somehow the words just had more meaning when Raziel said them.

"I'm afraid it's true," he said, still in that gentle, soft tone. "You're world is the one that isn't supposed to exist. That's not to say it doesn't, but it shouldn't." I stared up at him, then looked down, putting my hands to the sides of my head.

"My head hurts," I whispered.

"Considering the spell you cast, I'm surprised you're still alive," said Raziel, putting his hand on my shoulder to steady me. "Though you always were unnaturally strong, even for an unnatural being." I looked up at him.

"Did you come to me when I was sick last night?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

"Thank you," I said softly, dazedly. Then I looked up at him again, forcing myself to meet his glowing, scleral eyes. "Why?"

He seemed startled by the question and didn't answer for a time. "Because I wanted you to trust me," he said finally.

"Why?" I persisted. "Why am I so important? Why are so many people after me? What's this battle being fought over me?"

"Peace," he said. I glared at him but fell silent. His tone softened. "I'm sorry, but you must keep your head. There's a lot going on and very little time to explain it all."

"Then talk quickly," I said coldly, crossing my arms. "I'm listening." Raziel sighed, but he could see I would not be deterred.

"Very well," he said, sitting back on his heels. "You are an anatomical miracle. You know much about this world and my kind, so you know that vampires are sterile. But your father is a vampire. That, and a powerful alchemist. Your mother is an equally powerful necromancer."

"Of what species?" I asked, trying not to sound entirely sarcastic.

"Hylden," answered Raziel, shocking me.

_"What!"_ I gasped. "No, no, that's…that's…"

"Impossible?" asked Raziel gently. "That's what everyone who knew said. But it's true. No one is quite sure how it happened, but what they say is that you were born dead. Not undead, just dead. Using her necromantic skills, your mother, a beautiful and clever woman named Alatáriël, raised you from the dead to be what you are."

"And what am I?" I whispered, barely able to hear my own voice.

"Half vampire, half Hylden," replied Raziel, "but stronger than both. If the Hylden get ahold of you, it'll mean your peril."

"Thank you for that cheery little update," I said scathingly. I rose to my feet, restless and antsy. Raziel rose and waited patiently for me to calm myself. When I did, I sighed and turned back to him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be snapping at you like this. I'm just a little freaked out."

"I can understand that," said Raziel. "As they say in your world, this sort of thing is "just plain freaky", correct?" He made air quotes around the words with his claws, and hearing him trying to speak American-teenager lingo just made me laugh. He seemed satisfied by this.

"This is just completely unreal," I continued. "I actually wouldn't be surprised if I wake up in my own bed with Fenrir lying on my stomach and a bad headache."

"I'm afraid this isn't just a headache," said Raziel. "You're the key to ending this war."

_"Why?"_ I asked.

"You learned alchemy from your father," said Raziel, "and necromancy from your mother, who was more powerful even than Mortanius. But you did something no one believed possible: you found a way to _combine them._ And you see, the Reaver is a physical combination of alchemy and necromancy. The Reaver, for which you are named." I just looked at him. I wanted to trust him, really I did, but I couldn't be quick to trust anyone. I knew the games front and back, inside and out, left and right, and so on and so forth, but this was different. This was _real._

"What do you want of me?" I asked. "Are you one who would protect me? Destroy me? Or use me?"

"I will not force you against your will," he said. "I want to help you. We were…very close, before I was cast into the Abyss." I looked at him questioningly, but he didn't elaborate. He looked like he wanted to say more, but didn't. Or maybe he couldn't. I didn't know.

"What do you need me for?" I asked, trying to make my tone gentler. I looked around. "And, er…_when_ are we?" Raziel looked at me in surprise, then laughed.

"How apropos," he commented. "We are currently five centuries past the death of Janos Audron."

"Oh," I said. "Then I take it you saw Janos's death?"

"Yes."

"Then you know it was you who murdered him."

"Yes."

I looked at him closely. "I'm not insulting you, Raziel. Don't look at me like that."

"I didn't take it as an insult," said Raziel, surprised. I sighed and looked around. Unconsciously I started chewing my lower lip, tearing the skin off with my teeth and licking away the blood that started flowing freely.

"Don't do that."

I looked up in surprise. I hadn't even realized what I was doing.

"Sorry," I said. "Nervous habit. I can't help it, really." I wasn't feeling well. I felt weak and out-of-sorts, and not just because of all this new information that I had to wrap my head around. This was something physical. My eyes widened and I groaned as I realized what it was.

"Something wrong?' asked Raziel.

"Yes," I said. "I have a disease called porphyria. An extremely severe case of it too. My blood can't produce oxygen or hemoglobin. Because of this, I…have to drink blood. Human blood."

"You don't have porphyria," said Raziel gently. I glanced up at him.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It is your vampiric nature that causes your need for blood. There's nothing wrong with you otherwise." I blinked in surprise, then sighed.

"Y'know, you never answered my question," I said.

"What was it again?" he asked.

"What do you want me for?" I asked. "I'm sure it has something to do with the Reaver and my ability to combine necromancy with alchemy, whatever that means. So what is it?"

Raziel didn't answer for a time. When he did, his voice was heavy:

"I need your knowledge of what has happened and what will happen," he said.

"In English, please," I said icily. He gave me a hard look. I even go so far as to say he glared at me. But his voice was without anger when he spoke again.

"I know what has happened," he said. "You know what _will_ happen. You with your games and "websites", whatever they are, you know what my destiny is."

"You brought me here for that?" I asked. "You could've just asked me last night, you know. Would've saved a lot of trouble."

_"I_ did not bring you here!" he said in annoyance. "That was Kain! _I_ wanted to leave you be, let you live out your life in your world. I was there to try and keep Kain from doing this, bringing you here against your will!"

"Did a lovely job, didn't you," I said sarcastically. Raziel's eyes flashed, and he raised his hand. Automatically my arms flew up to protect my face and I hunched over, turning my head away.

"No, don't hit me! I'm sorry!" I cried. Raziel stood, frozen in surprise.

"Hit you? I'm not going to hit you," he said, confused. I looked up at him and slowly relaxed.

"It's just a reflex, I guess," I said. "I don't like when someone raises their hand like that near me." Raziel looked at me closely.

"He hit you, didn't he," he said. "That man who you thought was your human father. He hit you." I didn't answer for a time.

"It wasn't like abuse," I said finally. "I was a little kid. I'd do stupid things that I knew better than to do just because I was throwing a temper tantrum or something. It was nothing, really." Raziel didn't look convinced, but at least he dropped the subject. "Is there anywhere we could go that's a little more…private? I feel so exposed out here." Raziel nodded and gestured for me to follow him. Every particle of rationality in me, few though there were, was screaming for me to stop and think, that this couldn't be possible, that none of this was real and I'd soon wake up on the library floor having slipped in the spilled water and hit my head.

_'Well if it's not real, then there's no harm in finding out what happens next, now is there?'_ I thought. I followed quickly after Raziel.


	13. Chapter XIII

**A/N:** I am SO sorry it's taken so long to update, but I've had a bad case of Writer's Block, and I have another fic I'm working on too, so I've been trying to juggle these both. Oh, and John-Paul, I hope you didn't think I was ignoring you before; I will try to answer your question.

Chapter XIII

Raziel led me up the path and I followed without question. I wished Fenrir was trotting beside me, though, and I really wished my friends were there with me. They'd never believe all this when I told them. _If_ I told them. Would I ever see them again? I was silent, looking at the ground for the most part as I walked. Raziel either didn't want to disturb me, or didn't notice, because he didn't speak either. Something was tugging at my mind, what was it? Rhythm…words…music! A song. A phrase from a song sang into my head, but I couldn't remember the words even a second after I had heard them. I shook my head, trying to quell the music, and it stopped. Raziel stopped suddenly, and I nearly walked into him. I looked up and looked around. We stood on a cliff over a huge lake surrounding a great impassable wall and gate.

"The Sarafan Stronghold," I said knowingly. "Why have you brought me here?"

"It is not the stronghold that I am interested in now," replied Raziel. "Come here." I did so, and he put one cloven hand on my back, pointing at what he wanted me to see with the other. "Look there, to the east a little." I looked, and saw what he meant.

"The Light Forge?" I asked. Raziel nodded. "Why there?"

"Because it's safe," answered Raziel, "and it's one of the few places that I believe to be guarded from unwanted ears." I nodded, understanding perfectly.

"The Elder," I guessed.

"The very same," said Raziel. "Now, to get down safely…" his voice trailed off and he looked at me curiously. I frowned slightly, nervous.

"What?" I asked.

"Do you trust me?" he asked plainly. I blinked in surprise and considered for a moment.

"Yes," I said with finality. "I do."

"Good," said Raziel, lifting me up in his arms suddenly. "Then hold on around my neck and don't let go, whatever you do." Before I could ask questions, Raziel jumped over the side of the damned cliff! I shrieked, which is a landmark moment because I _never_ do anything like shrieking. I locked my arms around his neck, unable to keep from watching as the ledge just above the surface of the lake came ever closer. Without warning, Raziel let go of me and seized hold of his wings, gliding to a gentle and graceful stop. He gently disentangled me from around his neck and held me steady.

"Are you all right?" he asked. In response, I smacked his arm as hard as I could

"DON'T ever DO that AGAIN!" I shouted, furious.

"Good, you're all right," said Raziel, for all the world as though he had expected this reaction. I growled, fuming. I swear Raziel would have been grinning at me had he possessed a jaw. Activating the Soul Reaver, he unlocked the door to the Light Forge and gestured for me to go in ahead of him. Still fuming, I did. He followed and the massive door shut. I started to speak, but he said, "Not here. Further in." I followed him deep into the Forge until we reached the very altar of light. There, Raziel sat down and gestured for me to do the same. I shook my head and folded my arms, looking at him and waiting. He sighed. "I assume that you want an explanation."

"Right in one," I said, trying not to sound too sarcastic.

"Very well," said Raziel, leaning back. "Your mother's name, as I said, is Alatáriël. She is a beautiful and clever Hylden woman, as well as the most powerful necromancer known in this land. Your father's name is Findecáno, an equally handsome and powerful vampire alchemist. Findecáno knew Janos Audron before his death. He knew Kain as well. I even dare to say that Findecáno and Kain were friends. When he took over, Kain gave Findecáno great power in this land. In the monarchy, Findecáno is nearly as powerful as Kain."

"And my mother?" I whispered. Raziel's eyes were sad.

"She, unfortunately, was lost through the portal that banished the Hylden. You, however, were not. As I said, you were born dead when you shouldn't even have been born at all. Your mother resurrected you with her power. You grew up greatly loved by all, especially Janos. He treated you like a daughter. Kain had a great interest in you as well, and that progressed to having an actual fondness for you. You were born looking the way you do, with your white hair and skin, but you were not quite a vampire. Don't ask me how to explain that; I cannot. But you weren't. You have your mother's eyes. You spent as much time with Janos as you did with your father. Janos taught you to control and develop the powers you had inherited from your parents, but it was you yourself who taught you how to combine them. When you weren't practicing magic, you would practice arms. You were – _are_ – an excellent swordsman…apologies, I mean _woman._ You're equally deadly with a bow, but you always preferred the sword. You became very interested in swords and spent much time in the smithy with Vorador, watching him work and asking him to explain it all to you. You are the one who made the design for the Soul Reaver. You thought it would be beneficial to have a weapon that drained a person of his lifeblood, killing him almost immediately. Therein lay the necromantic aspect of the Reaver – bringing it to life, in a sense, giving it a hunger that had to be fed. The alchemic aspect lay in the entrapment of my soul within the Reaver blade to give it a hunger for souls. You never intended the design to be used; you felt that, while it was fascinating, it was too danger, for the hunger in the blade could easily become overexcited and turn on its wielder. You meant to take the design to your father to show him, but you lost it, dropped it somewhere in Janos's aerie. You thought nothing of it – until Vorador showed off his latest creation to you: the Blood Reaver. He told you Janos had coerced him into forging it, as a test for his skills. You were stunned, but not worried. Why should you have been? There was no cause for alarm, as long as the Reaver remained in Janos's guardianship. No one expected the attack, least of all myself. I should have known I was being used again, but I was too eager to learn my fate. But I digress. You were devastated when Janos died, and resolved to retrieve the Heart of Darkness from the Sarafan. However, you, like myself, could not find it. You could only help Vorador keep the body safe within the tomb under the garden. _Your_ garden, as a matter of fact. In time, you grew to accept Janos's passing and possible return. You often visited Kain, and he treated you like his own princess. When he raised my brothers and me from the grave as his vampire 'sons', he introduced you to us as such. We all grew to love you, though you never much cared for Melchiah or Turel. Turel was always trying to gain your favour, but that you gave to…me. Don't look at me like that. I told you we were close. Kain and Findecáno, your father, actually encouraged our liaison. They felt it couldn't be more perfect – the most powerful lieutenant of the vampire king with the all-powerful daughter of an impossible union of Hylden and vampire. I loved you very much. I never stopped loving you. You were with me when I first evolved my wings. You were thrilled, but cautioned me against presenting them to Kain. You wouldn't say what you were afraid of, but you were afraid. I didn't heed you, saying that everything would be fine. I carried you in my arms and we touched the stars that night. The next morning was that fateful day when I 'fell from favour'. The last thing I heard after Kain gave the order for my brothers to cast me into the Abyss was your voice crying out for mercy. I searched for you wherever I went after my strange resurrection. I came to learn the awful truth: no one had seen so much as your shadow for a long time. I tried to find Findecáno, but he was gone too. Even if I had asked Kain, I wouldn't have believed him. Janos knew, though. During our brief discussion, he told me that you had gone to the Lake of the Dead every day and cast your beautiful roses down into the water in remembrance of me. One day, you went to the lake as usual and didn't come back. It turns out Findecáno had followed you and, fearing some great evil coming to find you, sent you into the Hylden dimension with new memories. That is where I found you."

I was stunned. My world, my hideously boring, criminally monotonous, sinfully repetitive world was the Hylden dimension! _That_ world! Impossible! Then, the Hylden were…humans? I didn't understand.

"I don't understand," I whispered, my voice barely audible, my eyes wide and disbelieving. Raziel nodded understandingly, but didn't speak. "B-but the Hylden…they're human? My world _can't_ be the Hylden dimension! You've seen it; don't you think? There's no way! And my mother…who is she there? Did I know her? Was she my human mother? Was my family human? My friends? Why don't they look strange and evil? What happened now that I'm not there? Has my life stopped? My family, my friends…have they all stopped?" Raziel gently pulled me down next to him. I stared past him, trying to wrap my head around all this.

"Your games adopted a bit of artistic interpretation," he said gently, holding me like a little child. "The Hylden looked much like humans, except far more beautiful, unearthly beautiful, and their eyes glowed with their power. You've seen it." I nodded silently. I had seen people's eyes glowing strangely, but I had put it all down to a reflection of streetlights in their eyes like any sane person. "The Hylden weren't exactly evil, just like vampires aren't exactly evil. They were living in the way they had to to survive. But neither was willing to share this world, most of all because the Hylden seemed to feed off of us the way we feed off of humans. But you are the connection between the two warring races. Only you can end it all." I looked up at him, then hung my head. This was too much. My stomach clenched and the room spun. I pulled away from Raziel abruptly, dizzy and hot.

"Oh God," I managed to say before vomiting onto the floor. I turned away from Raziel, shamefaced and sick. His strong but gentle hands closed over my shoulders as I shook. When I didn't show signs of being sick again, he pulled me back to lean against him. "I've disappointed you," I said quietly.

"Not at all," replied Raziel softly. "It's better than you disbelieving me entirely and running from me. You never ran from me, except in play. I couldn't bear it if you ever ran from me." He started playing with my hair, running his claws through it. It took me a moment to realize he was braiding my hair. I stayed still and let him. It was a comforting sensation.

"What do I do?" I whispered.

"Whatever you do, I'll protect you," said Raziel. "I hope, though, that you will consent to help me. I need you."

_I need you…_no one had ever said that to me. No one had ever said _I love you_ either, not counting family. Hell, they weren't even my family and they didn't love me! No one loved me. No…Raziel did.

"Of course I'll help you," I said, my voice almost a whisper. "But I'm…afraid."

"I know," Raziel replied, tying my hair at the bottom and releasing it. "On some level, so am I. I don't want to be imprisoned within the Reaver forever, but I no longer wish destruction upon my own kind, the vampires. I fear, though, that in order for the latter to come to pass, the former must first be realized."

"No," I said, turning to face him. "No, that's not true. I designed the Reaver. I'll find some way around this. But have questions."

"Absolutely," said Raziel. "Ask what you wish."

"My name…" I said hesitantly. "Why, if I came _before_ the Reaver, was I named for it?"

"Your parents foresaw the forging of the Reaver at your birth. They knew it would be closely connected to you in some way."

"So, I'm older than you, or even Kain?"

"That is correct."

"Where is my father, Findecáno?"

"I don't know. The assumption was that he followed you into the Hylden dimension, but no one knows for sure. Not even Janos knew."

"How can I stop this war?"

"I could tell you that when the Hylden and the vampires see you then they'll realize they overcome their differences and live in harmony, but that is not true. You are the only one with power great enough to come between them and survive. Or maybe you have another destiny. I'm honestly not certain."

"My friends, back in the other world…"

"Say no more, I understand. They're not Hylden. They're humans. They were good friends of yours in this world before you were taken away. They too have a destiny here, and will be joining us soon."

"…How did I get the mark on my forehead?"

"Oh, that. In all seriousness, I tell you that you got that as a result of a small accident. It's a scar from where you were burned in Vorador's forge once. You became known as Soul Moonscar to many. That's all it is, I swear."

I smiled vaguely. "Then I think I know all I'll need to for now. Wherever we're going, let's go." Raziel smiled back at me and we rose together. We started out of the forge, but right as Raziel activated the Reaver, I froze. I felt so strange. I suddenly understood the ending of _Soul Reaver 2_ when Raziel said he saw memories blooming and dying behind Kain's eyes. I felt the same exact thing.

"What's that?" I said softly to no one in particular.

"Soul?" asked Raziel in concern. "What is it?"

"What?" I said, not speaking to Raziel. "No, no, it wasn't me…was it? Oh no. I did it. No, it's not my fault."

"Soul, what is it?" said Raziel. "Soul, tell me what you see."

**A/N:** Hahahah, cliffie! Booyah! I love cliffhangers! R&R, and I'll get my ass to work on the next one!


	14. Chapter XIV

Chapter XIV

_I sat on the stone ledge, my legs dangling in the air beneath me. Music flowed from my interesting instrument: an ocarina with a wheel-like appendage on one end that altered the pitch of the notes when turned one way or the other, sharper one way, flatter the other. I played a haunting song that lingered in the stones and rode on the wind. It was probably for that reason that Kain came wandering into the pass. He was following my music. I smiled and rose, still playing. He did not see me, but he looked. Deciding to have a little fun, I slipped further into the mountains, Kain following all the way, having no idea he was being led like a sheep. I kept playing, luring him on to where I wanted him to go. At last I came upon it: the Tomb of the Sarafan. I stopped playing and started humming, cooing a wordless song, projecting my voice into the tomb. Kain followed, curious, and stopped when he saw the tomb. I stopped my song then. I had fulfilled my purpose; what Kain did with the knowledge he now possessed was for him to decide. Smiling impishly, I disappeared into the mountains.

* * *

_

"Ah!"

I shook my head, trying to clear it. What had I just seen? That wasn't me…was it? Was that a memory? I groaned and shook my head again, unable to think. Raziel put his hand on my back, concerned.

"Soul, what is it?" he asked. "Soul, tell me what you see."

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to," I whispered. "I remember hating the Sarafan, always. They tried to justify their cruel slayings when they were as bloodthirsty as the vampires. I wanted to punish them. And so I led Kain to the Sarafan tomb. I knew him; I knew his sense of humour, his irony. How could he resist? He's becoming too predictable. I didn't realize the magnitude of what I was doing." I couldn't look at Raziel. How could I have done that? How could I have _given_ Raziel and his brothers-in-arms to Kain? I always hated the Sarafan, even when I was only playing the games, but I didn't realize just what that meant. Raziel put both hands on my shoulders and I looked up at him, ashamed.

"I don't condemn you for what you did," he said gently. "If you hadn't, balance would remain unrestored, wouldn't it? If I've learned anything at all in my travels, it's that I have some part to play in the restoration of Nosgoth." I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I knew full well what Raziel's part was; I just couldn't stand to tell him, not yet. Later. After he had learned more about his destiny. Or destin_ies_, as it were. Even I didn't understand it completely. I sighed, trying to relax.

"What just happened?" I asked quietly.

"Your memories are trying to resurface," Raziel explained. "This may happen more and more frequently, the longer you stay here, especially if you see something that was once familiar to you. I'm afraid all you can do is get used to it." I nodded.

"Where were you going before you saved me?" I asked. I realized I was still holding Moebius's staff and looked at it curiously. "And why isn't this affecting the Reaver?"

"Because you don't want it to," replied Raziel. "You haven't activated the staff. As for where I was going, it actually had nothing to do with the Pillars. I just knew you would be there. I was chasing Kain again, to Avernus Cathedral. He has the Heart of Darkness, and I need it."

"To resurrect Janos Audron," I completed for him. Raziel nodded, gazing into the distance, a determined look in his scleral eyes.

"Then let's not waste time," I said. Raziel opened the way out and I followed him. I knew resurrecting Janos was folly, but I had an idea, and if I were right I would need the Heart of Darkness. A part of me dearly longed to see my old friend, but I knew better. Janos had to stay dead, just like Kain said. But Raziel never heard that caution. "Your Reaver…what elements does it possess now?"

"All," replied Raziel distantly. "I making my way past the Earth Forge and the murals when I sensed the temporal distortion through which Kain brought you here."

"And where _is_ Kain, I wonder," I muttered. "He dragged me out of my world, dropped me into his, and left me to deal with that thrice-cursed Time-Streamer. Why not stick around and prevent our meeting?"

"I have no idea," said Raziel. "And I don't care at the moment." I followed him quickly and without question, too lost in my own thoughts to speak to him. If I _was_ right, then where…I nearly ran into Raziel, having not noticed him stop. He was looking at the blazing cathedral. I though I heard him mutter, "There's no sense stopping now," but I wasn't sure. He took my hand and hurried me inside and through the caliginous catacombs. I grimaced; the smell was awful. But I didn't stop, not wanting to hinder Raziel. He stopped, however, when we heard the cries:

"Hash'ak'gik! Hash'ak'gik! Hash'ak'gik!"

"Great Hash'ak'gik, we hear you."

"We tremble and we obey."

"We offer this sacrifice upon the altar of the world."

"The blood of our first born do we sacrifice to you."

"May this blood nourish you for all eternity."

"Avert your wrath from us, great God."

"The wrath of Hash'ak'gik has once more been averted. Depart now, as ever, in his service."

"We tremble, and we obey. Praise to Hash'ak'gik, and ever praise! Hash'ak'gik! Hash'ak'gik! Hash'ak'gik!"

"I think I'm going to be sick," I muttered, scowling at the cenobites as they passed. Contemptible creatures, the lot of them. Pathetic. And how could they possibly offer the blood of their firstborn, or any child of theirs? It was disgusting, but oddly familiar. I remembered vaguely my dislike of Turel intensifying into pure burning hatred after he destroyed Raziel without question or hesitation. I wanted to punish him, and so I did. But what did I do to him? I could almost remember…

"Stay here," Raziel instructed me quietly. "I want to see this."

"Uh, Raziel, wait, you don't-" I tried, but he didn't listen to me. "Raziel! Damn it, man, listen to me!" I hissed, but he didn't.

"What is it that these deluded humans worship with such fervor? Is this the dreaded 'Unspoken' that Vorador warned me about?" he said to himself, crouching on the edge of the pit, trying to see into it.

"Three…two…one," I said to myself. Just after 'one', a telekinetic blast hit Raziel in the back and sent him tumbling into the pit. I sighed, rose, and went to the edge of the pit. "Are you all right?" I called calmly.

"Never better," grumbled Raziel. I smiled.

"I did try to tell you," I said sweetly. Raziel just gave an agitated huff and looked for a way out. "Uh, you're going to want to watch out."

"What? Why?" he asked. I pointed to the shadows and Raziel looked. The monstrous Turel was emerging. I knew Raziel wouldn't recognize him. Intrigued, I sat on the edge of the pit and watched what transpired.

"I smell no blood," Turel growled. "Throat cut _first_, blood _gouting_, _then_ it falls into the pit...the sacrifice is rejected. You will know my wrath-" He growled and moved forward, sniffing at Raziel. "Not possible," he hissed. "No. It could not be-"

Raziel summoned the Reaver and menaced Turel with it, saying, "Stand away, monster.

Agitated, Turel said, "No. That voice…not possible. I know _that_ voice...but he fell. _The Abyss_, he ended there."

"I did not _fall_ into the Abyss," Raziel said angrily.

Turel gave a sick, mocking version of a laugh and said, "Oh, it remembers _that_, does it?" with utmost sarcasm.

"I was _thrown_ in, by my own brethren," said Raziel, by way of an explanation.

Again, Turel gave that twisted mockery of a laugh. "I heard what you did to them...and now, you have found me at last." At these words, Raziel dispelled the Reaver in shock.

"_...Turel,"_ he gasped.

"He's beginning to understand," I said softly to myself.

"Turel," sneered the monster, laughing. "Yes. That was my name _then."_

Raziel was still stunned. "The others were grotesque, but…" He backed away, circling. Turel followed.

"Yes…I am changed," Turel agreed. "I have become a _god_. Greater than you ever were, Raziel. You were never a god. Greater even than _Kain!"_

"It is to you that these humans offer their blood sacrifices?" Raziel accused.

"'Hash'ak'gik...Hash'ak'gik...' Yes," answered Turel.

"But how did this happen?"

"I was summoned. There was darkness, and great hunger. And then I was..._found."_

"Why do you stay in this terrible place?"

Turel was infuriated by the question. "Why stay? Would I stay _if I could get out?"_ He lunged forward, then stopped. "While they hound me and tear at me and-" He was abruptly taken with some type of seizure. When he recovered, his eyes were glowing green and the cadence of his speech had changed completely. There seemed to be several entities present, speaking through him:

"_The hour is at hand." _

"_As it was foretold."_

Confused, Raziel watched him. "Turel?" What was confusing _me_ was why Raziel seemed to be showing concern for his deformed sibling. That, and why I felt I was responsible for this…and why that thought delighted me.

"_We use his voice to command the disciples above."_

"_We demand offerings to keep the host alive."_

"_He has been a durable vessel, but he can take us no further."_

Turel broke free from his possession for a moment, but then succumbed once more:

"_You must prevail." _

"_The champion of our enemy draws near..."_

With a momentous effort, Turel regained control of himself. "No!" he roared. "I must have blood…bring me blood, or feel the wrath of your god." Suddenly Turel turned on Raziel. Sneering, he said, "You…yours…yes…it will strengthen me against them…" Raziel summoned the Reaver again.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, backing away as Turel advanced on him.

"No…no more questions," said Turel. "No more worship. Time to run…time to scream…time to die..."

"Oh great," I sighed. If Raziel had grown up – or at least had sixteen years worth of memories of growing up – in my world, doubtless I would have heard a loud "Oh _shit!"_ by this point. Instead, Raziel battled Turel without a word. I watched him fight, fascinated. Again, his swordplay was like a perfectly choreographed dance, graceful and almost sensuous. Something tugged at my mind, and I frowned, wanting to ignore it. Suddenly I realized it was another memory, and I opened my mind to it. When it all rushed in, I was shocked. This new memory explained Turel's…_predicament._ I shivered at the revelation. Ohh, too wonderful!

Finally, assaulted by sound and Raziel's attacks, Turel roared and collapsed. Raziel approached warily.

Turel groaned and gasped, "Yes, now..."

As Raziel prepared to finish Turel, Turel once again came under the Hyldens' influence:

"_Go…speed your endeavor…"_

"_Face him…and _kill_ him…"_

"_Destroy the Binding at last..."_

"_We shall all be..."_

The green glow faded from Turel's eyes as he uttered he last word: "Free..."

As Raziel absorbed Turel's soul, I noticed a tendril of green mix with it. When the process was complete and Raziel opened his eyes, their glow was stained green. I knew this was bad, but I could do nothing about it. With his telekinetic ability enhanced, Raziel made it out of the pit. He looked at me, and I flinched. I actually flinched.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I know what happened to Turel," I said. Raziel cocked his head, intrigued.

"Really? What?" he asked. "And how?"

"I did it," I said quietly. Without knowing what I was doing, I reached out and took hold of Raziel's arm, pushing at the memory, willing it into him.

* * *

_I knelt by the edge of the great platform from which my dear Raziel had been so unjustly cast. Tears burned my eyes as I cast down the most beautiful of the roses from my garden, cut only that morning just for him. Raziel had always liked my roses. I sighed, sitting back on my heels and gazing into the angry water. A Charybdis all its own, it churned and swirled, daring all to just try and survive its mighty embrace. And my poor Raziel was lost forever in its unforgiving grip. I wiped my eyes, sighing again._

_"He wouldn't want you to go on like this, you know."_

_I frowned, angry that anyone would dare disturb me here. Not here. I didn't even need to look behind me to know who it was. Only two voices I knew were _that _arrogant, and Kain had a different accent. That only left_

_"Turel," I said calmly. "Go away."_

_"Galadriël _(my name in Nosgoth's language)_ you can't keep doing this to yourself," said Turel in a voice he tried to render gentle._

_"I'm sorry, you've obviously mistaken what I just said for a request," I said icily. "Leave now, or you will join Raziel."_

_"I know you don't mean that," replied Turel. His arrogance was usually a source of amusement for me, but not now._

_"You don't know much, then," I growled. I rose, clearing my dress, and turned to him. "Turel, I'm going to make this as…monosyllabic as I can: I loathe you. You disgust me. I will not forget what I cannot forgive. I will never pardon you for what you did to Raziel. I hope you choke on your own filth someday." Having given him something to think about, I brushed past him brusquely and started on my way._

_"Kain only allowed your affair with Raziel because he was Kain's first lieutenant."_

_I froze. Slowly turning around, I said in a deadly low voice, _"What_ did you say?"_

_"You heard me," said Turel. "He was going to make you Raziel's bride. However, since _I_ am now his chief lieutenant, that honor falls to me." He was smiling at me. No…_smirking._ If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people _smirking _at me. I knew he was lying, of course. Kain was arrogant, but he wasn't unfeeling. My rage grew and built within me, and burst out in the form of the most powerful spell I had ever cast:_

"Earth for strength

Water for clarity

Air for speed

Fire for power

I call on the power long banished from this world

Take this fool for your will to be done!"

_Who says all spells have to be in verse?_

_Fury blazing through every particle of me, I thrust both hands out at Turel and bellowed, _"GO!"_ at the top of a voice I never even knew I possessed. Turel was struck with a great blast of energy and hurled back into a forming portal with a great cry. The portal swallowed him, and I relaxed slowly. Smiling grimly, evilly, I turned and walked away as calmly as though nothing strange had happened. Turel was never seen again.

* * *

_

"Raziel, don't look at me like that."

Raziel was staring at me in shock. After all he'd seen, I thought such a thing as this shouldn't have rattled him, but it did. "You?" he asked me. "You gave Turel to them?"

"And why should I have not?" I snapped, as though I were the one possessed by a residual essence of the Hylden spirits. "Don't say that his presence made any difference in this world! He deserved it." Raziel just looked at me and shook his head. "What?"

"I'm amazed," he said. "I never knew you possessed such power. You possess it still, and that may work well to our advantage in this sordid little game."

"Do I possess it," I said softly, realizing how insane I had been acting, "or does it possess me?" Raziel embraced me gently.

"You'll be all right," he promised. "Now come. We have to find the Heart."


	15. Chapter XV

**A/N:**A warning: a lot of this is going to be direct from the game script, but I'll be writing my own stuff too. Don't worry; soon _I'll_ be making the rules, heh heh heh evil evil grin.

Chapter XV

I noticed Mortanius was still on his platform, apparently watching us. Catching Raziel's arm gently, I pointed up at him. "He knows something you'll want to learn," I told him. "But you're going alone. I don't want to confront him." Raziel nodded.

"Will you be all right here alone?" he asked.

"Keep an eye out for me," I replied. "But I think I'll be OK. Go." Raziel, to my surprise, squeezed my hand affectionately before climbing up to confront Mortanius. Although he was alone, the Necromancer was apparently speaking to the fledgling Kain through some magic: "Come to me, my undead son. Make haste to the Pillars – the stage is set for the grand finale. You will have your vengeance."

"Mortanius," said Raziel expressionlessly. Mortanius turned, and dismissed his Death's Head mask with a wave of his hand.

"So you have come out into the open, at last," he commented dryly. "The Binding must be fragile indeed. But you will find you are too late."

"What am I too late for this time?" inquired Raziel with some exasperation. Before he could respond, Mortanius was taken by a seizure similar to Turel's. A green glow ignited in his eyes for a moment, then faded.

"No," he said tightly. "No – not now. You are too late for the victory you sought. I have beaten you after all."

"You have mistaken my identity," said Raziel guardedly.

"Have I?" Mortanius responded. "You forget who schooled me on the Ancient prophecies-"Another seizure took him, and that time he lost to the possessing Hylden Lord.

"_This vessel speaks truly: you are indeed overdue. But it no longer matters in the least. With or without you – we will prevail."_

"Oh come on, not this again," I muttered. "This is getting boring." Thankfully Raziel was too far away to hear my low voice.

"So I finally meet the 'Unspoken' – and here it is nestled in the heart of the Circle itself. Ironic," said Raziel with considerable satire.

Chuckling, the Hylden Lord/Mortanius replied, _"Poetic justice, to topple the foundations of the Pillars from within. We shall have our revenge, in full measure, and for all time."_ Mortanius was weakening. The green glow in his eyes faded then returned.

"Ah..." he groaned. I almost felt sorry for him. _Almost._

"_This one has little strength left. One must not break him…" _The Hylden Lord released Mortanius, who staggered and collapsed onto a nearby stone seat. "Your kind does not like to lose," he grunted. Had Raziel possessed a bit less dignity, I'm sure he would have rolled his eyes. As it was, he only responded:

"I seek the Heart of Darkness."

"Ah, _now_ you think of that," Mortanius said with some effort. "But as I told you, you are too late. The Heart has served its function. I have used it to set prophecy in motion. I created the champion foretold by my masters, who is destined to be your destroyer. The Scion of Balance will save Nosgoth – the Pillars will return to Vampire guardianship as intended, and your race will be cast down forever."

"Good God, you really have no idea what you're _talking_ about, do you?" I said quietly.

With dawning realization, Raziel said, _"Kain_. You used the Heart of Darkness to create Kain!"

"How else?" scoffed Mortanius. "I refused at first to believe the ancient myths. I thought the vampires were simply a plague upon mankind, a pestilence we had to control. But they were right, and we were wrong to overthrow them – Moebius and I. We didn't understand what it was the Pillars were holding back. I have made my atonement. I will continue to make it to the end, which will be soon, now. But I know: Kain will set it right, he will restore Balance-" At that moment, the Hylden Lord tried to seize control again, but lost. "And none too soon," Mortanius added. "My enemy is growing stronger.

"Where is the Heart of Darkness now? Did you destroy it?" demanded Raziel.

Laughing, Mortanius responded, "You still don't understand, do you? You cannot make use of it as long as Kain guards it with his life."

Incredulous, Raziel said, "Kain…has it?" rather softly. Realization dawned completely, and finally Raziel understood. "It is _in_ Kain!" he cried in shock.

"Check and mate," said Mortanius with a hint of a sneer. "This deed will redeem first me and then all Nosgoth. It must, it…unh…" The Hylden Lord's presence asserted itself forcefully:

"_This one grows weak. But we will soon have a stronger vessel."_ Mortanius rose and advanced on Raziel, who retreated. _"The long-awaited hour approaches – our release is at hand…"_ Just then, Mortanius faltered, then regained himself.

"Ah... I must…finish it. Now…" he said, almost mumbling. With that, Mortanius summoned his Death's Head mask again, and vanished. I watched it all with interest, my arms folded across my chest.

"Well that was interesting," I commented. Raziel just looked down at me and shook his head. "What?"

"Nothing," he said, jumping down to join me. "Let's leave these catacombs, shall we?"

"That's the best suggestion I've heard all night," I replied, and I meant it. I walked beside Raziel, silent and contemplating. Raziel apparently noticed.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I wish I could be more stimulating company, but anything I could hold a rousing conversation about would be of absolutely no assistance to either of us at present," I replied distantly. Again I got the feeling that Raziel would have smiled if he could. "I'm just thinking, that's all."

"About what?" asked Raziel gently.

"Everything," I said. "Everything and nothing. My friends, my family, my Fenrir…it seems like a dream now, and _this_ is the reality I've always known, but at the same time I feel like I'm dreaming now and I'll wake up to everything I knew before. And I keep getting these feelings…" my voice trailed off.

"Of what?" asked Raziel.

"Of an impending seizure," I answered with a sigh. "Complex partial seizures; that's what my neurologist called them. I'd have these moments, primarily around the full moon, where I'd become dizzy, nauseas, disoriented. I'd get horrible stabbing pains in my head and stomach. And images would fill my mind. I couldn't shut them out. They were all so familiar, but I couldn't place them. Was I… was I remembering my life here?"

"Yes," said Raziel. "I told you, you're very powerful. The spells on you have been failing for a while. The episodes you just described are an unfortunate side effect. Don't fight them; that'll only make it worse."

"I'm not," I said. I sighed. "I don't really want to talk about this right now."

"I understand," said Raziel. To my everlasting surprise, Raziel put his arm around my shoulders. I looked up at him, and he gazed at me so gently. I smiled and leaned my head against his arm. Never had I felt so secure, so safe, so…_wanted._ With Raziel, I felt like I was needed, wanted. I had never felt like that before. I found that I liked it very much. I didn't want it to stop, and I didn't want Raziel to let me go. I found myself almost wishing he'd pick me up in his arms like he had when we went down to the Light Forge. I wanted to be near him; I wanted him to touch me, hold me, tell me…what? _'That he loves me…'_ I shook my head. Maybe I had loved him once, but now I was just confused. I always wondered why I could never love in the other world. Never had I ever felt anything for a member of the opposite sex – or the same sex, for that matter – except for giggling with my friends about how good-looking a boy was. Was it because deep down I still loved Raziel? I wondered…at least, I _wanted_ to wonder, to mull it over thoughtfully, but unfortunately I didn't have that liberty. There was someone waiting for us in the entrance hall. When Raziel saw him, his grip on my shoulder tightened slightly.

"Kain," said Raziel coldly, on the defensive. "Why is this no surprise?"

"Because our destinies run together, Raziel," Kain replied easily, "like two rivers that have met and can never be distinct again. At your every fatal turn, you will find me."

"And the free will you said was mine, what has become of that?" Raziel retorted.

"You still have it," Kain replied. "And that has everything to do with my presence here now. That, and I knew I would find Soul with you." Whereupon he turned to me with a smile that froze my heart.

"You took your time, didn't you," I accused him. Kain only looked amused.

"What do you mean?" he inquired.

"Don't give me the innocent act," I retorted. "I _invented_ it. You know what I mean. You broke into my home, smashed my vase, killed my roses, dragged me into this world against my will, and left me for that son of snakes Moebius to find. I suppose you have a conveniently inexplicable reason for all that?" Kain only shrugged. "Frankly, I expected better from you." He frowned at me, but didn't say anything. Raziel squeezed my shoulder, and I correctly interpreted it as a signal for me to shut up.

"It was your machinations, Kain, that set my destiny in motion," he said angrily. "The coin you tossed has struck the earth. Now you must abide by its outcome."

"The coin is _still_ turning, Raziel," replied Kain, far too patiently. "To reach the resolution we both can live with, that will best serve our futures, Janos Audron must not be raised."

A faint tinge of green flared in Raziel's eyes, then faded as he snapped, "Because you do not wish it? Is my free will to be exercised only when it accords with your whim?"

"There is much more at stake in this than you know," replied Kain softly, looking at me. I knew exactly what the implication was, but I looked away from him. I knew Janos could not be raised, but it was not time to tell Raziel that yet. If I wanted my idea to work, I needed the Heart of Darkness. Thankfully, Raziel did not notice.

"Yes, and it is Janos who has the answers I desire," he said coldly.

"You must trust me, Raziel," insisted Kain. "Our intentions – for Nosgoth, for our futures – are not so diverse."

"I must trust you – or…?" asked Raziel. I sighed pointedly, but said nothing. I dared not interfere. In fact, I knew I should be moving away so I wouldn't get killed by what was soon to happen.

"I have not come here to threaten you, Raziel," Kain said in a voice I think he tried to render gentle.

"You say that, while you hold in your hand the instrument of my doom?" countered Raziel.

"I saved you from the Reaver once. I have no intention of imprisoning you within the blade." Kain returned the Blood Reaver to its place on his back.

"At least not until the moment it serves your plans to do so," scoffed Raziel.

"You are not the only one at risk," Kain informed him. "I may carry the instrument of your destruction, but I, too, have taken a chance in coming here. Or haven't you realized – you bear the only weapon that can kill me." At that, Raziel released my shoulder and activated the wraith blade.

"Then you know what I am – and who you are?"

"I believe I do."

"No you don't," I whispered, but neither heard me. I decided to keep my little quips to myself, for if they ever _did_ hear me, my plans would be for naught.

"And still you think you can move me about like your pawn. Think again, Kain." Raziel attacked, his eyes glowing fully green. Kain recoiled back out of range. I hated watching this…and yet, I loved it.

"Take heed, Raziel."

"Why? If we are who we are, then are we not destined to fight to the death to decide the fate of Nosgoth?"

"Don't be a fool! I will not fight you."

Raziel was enraged. "And that will be the prophesied heroes' battle? I win, because you will not fight me?" He attacked again, and again Kain evaded the attack. "The mighty Kain, Scion of Balance, would-be savior of Nosgoth, surrenders before the final battle even begins," he said mockingly. He leapt at Kain, who hurled him aside. Kain drew the Blood Reaver and started forward.

"Very well, if this will make you see reason-" he said in a resigned tone. I quickly ducked around one of the columns as Raziel and Kain battled. Kain's swordplay wasn't quite as charismatic as Raziel's but it was powerful. His one failing was that he seemed to attack a bit wildly, trusting only his brute strength. Admittedly, considering that strength was preternatural, this wasn't necessarily an ineffective strategy, but Raziel could duck and dodge his blows with his lithesome grace and speed. However, Raziel was possessed by the residual spirit energy of the Hyldens who had possessed Turel. Consequently, he was attacking very wildly and actually a bit spastically. It would have been comical had the situation not been so serious. Finally Kain stood over Raziel, having beaten him into a semblance of submission.

"Now – you will listen to me," he said, again patiently. "The Heart of Darkness must remain undiscovered. Great harm will come of its use."

Pushing himself up, Raziel said, "You don't know where it is, do you?"

"No-"

"You never looked for it."

"It doesn't matter, Raziel. Listen to me – you must understand that every creature is bound to one predestined path. We are all shackled-"

"To the Wheel of Fate. Believe me, I know that even better than you do."

"All but one." Kain broke off for a moment and again looked to me, but not for an explanation this time. He was considering me, sizing me up. I suddenly realized why: I was half Hylden. I had spent at least a year in the Hylden dimension. Was I unbound from this diabolical Wheel the same as Raziel? I hoped Kain would say so or otherwise, but he didn't. He turned back to Raziel. "Because of your remaking, you are the one unbound creature, the one among us all that truly has free will. You have a choice, Raziel-"

"Which I'm sure I must make at your direction. Your pawn has reached the end of the board, Kain." Raziel rose menacingly, his eyes flaring green once more. "And now my powers may even surpass yours. How ironic if the creature that you made should prove your own undoing. Now – we finish this. Once and for all." He attacked Kain again, and I remembered my dream.

'_You mean _in_victus – unconquerable!'_

I shook my head to clear it again. I didn't have time to be lost in old dreams that meant nothing now. I watched this next battle, half horrified, half fascinated. I found myself mentally comparing Kain and Raziel's different attack patterns. This fight was shorter than the last, however, and I jumped, startled, as Kain was thrown back by the force of one of Raziel's attacks. Raziel started forward, raising the wraith blade for a finishing blow, but Kain countered, seizing Raziel's wrist with his left hand. A connection was made and, using Kain's body as a conduit, Raziel's essence began to flow into the Blood Reaver, which was still in Kain's right hand. Raziel began to collapse, his physical form flickering.

"Raziel!" I cried, my eyes wide with horror. I was losing the one person who made me feel…real. I wanted to run to him, but I stopped myself. I knew what was going to happen, and I had no choice but to wait.

"Ahh...you..." croaked Raziel, fading.

"No…Raziel..." said Kain in horror.

"_Vae Victis-"_ gasped Raziel.

"I didn't-" Whatever Kain didn't do or mean to do, I'll never know. With one last burst of strength, Raziel rallied, plunging his claws into Kain's chest and ripping out the Heart of Darkness. He held up the heart triumphantly.

" 'Woe to the conquered' – I have found the Heart of Darkness! And you – go to oblivion."

"Raziel, don't…" I whispered, not caring if he heard me this time. He didn't. Raziel hurled Kain into a forming portal with a telekinetic blast, and Kain vanished. The green faded from Raziel's eyes, leaving him contemplating what he had done. I knew exactly what he was thinking, and I voiced it just to scare him:

"Kain is gone," I said, walking towards Raziel slowly. He just looked at me. "The madness of this place has somehow fueled your rage, and as it subsides you feel no elation, no sense of victory. Only a calm certainty that we have once again walked blindly into our enemies' trap. You can't be sure whether Kain had truly intended to destroy you – and now it appears we will never know." I sighed heavily.

"How do you know all that?" asked Raziel.

"Because I've played the game," I replied. Raziel nodded, but I don't think he caught the hidden meaning in my words. He too sighed.

"Come," he said. "We have a mission to complete."

"And a game to win," I answered.


	16. Chapter XVI

**Disclaimer:**I don't own "Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns)"; that belongs to Blind Guardian.

Chapter XVI

Raziel and I went to Vorador's estate, Raziel intending to return the Heart of Darkness to Janos' body. We entered the library. In our absence, however, the estate had been overrun by Moebius's soldiers. I knew that they had not yet found the entrance to the crypt, or discovered the body of Janos, but I could tell Raziel was concerned. Of Vorador, there was no sign. Moebius was waiting on the library's far balcony, accompanied by Vampire Hunters. He smiled when he saw us.

"Raziel - the conquering hero," he said over-dramatically. Raziel and I stood in the middle of the room, looking up at the Time Streamer. I yawned widely and obviously at him, twirling his precious staff in my long fingers like a baton. Moebius looked at me as though he wanted dearly to frown or yell at me, but contained himself. "Ah, Galadriël, the powerful princess, I see you've taken care of my staff. Give it here, like a good girl, won't you?"

"No, I won't," I replied. "And my name is Soul." Now Moebius frowned.

"Why ever not?" he asked.

"Because I hate you," I said, as though confused that he had to ask why. A flash of annoyance crossed Moebius's face, but only for an instant. He turned back to Raziel.

"I understand we are to offer congratulations. Kain, at last, is dead," he said.

"I suppose you expect similar congratulations on the death of Vorador?" Raziel accused. "Or has he eluded you?"

"We have him," replied Moebius, tossing Vorador's sword over the balcony's rail. It landed at Raziel's feet. "But not without a considerable price in blood. Without my staff, more were killed than were necessary." He looked at me pointedly, but I didn't react.

"That will have pleased him," said Raziel.

"Let it sustain him until his head is off," said Moebius with a shrug, "and every vampire in Nosgoth at last is dead."

"And will that knowledge sustain you? You too are going to your death," I pointed out. Raziel looked at me. I had taken the words right out of his mouth again. oblivious as usual, Moebius retorted:

"For a true servant of the one God, death is never bitter. I will go – again at peace with the knowledge that I have played my small part in our master's plans. Kain is at last destroyed, and you have carried out the deed. Which hero do you think you are now? The vampire savior? Or the other one? Have you realized yet that it didn't matter to us which one either of you thought you were, so long as the result was the same in the end? And now, Kain is dead. Really, I cannot thank you enough."

"So this has all been arranged, every step of the way. And Kain thought I truly had free will," said Raziel with a tinge of regret to his voice.

"Oh, but you do," said Moebius with that insufferable sneer of his, that edge of contempt that was always in his voice and expression. He began to turn away. "And there's the greatest triumph of all, to have compelled the one player who could choose into doing exactly what we required. Well done, faithful servant. And now-"

Moebius snapped his fingers and his staff disappeared from my hand and rematerialized in his. Smirking, he activated the staff and vanished, leaving his Vampire Hunters behind to fight Raziel and me. "I have an execution to see to."

"That man's voice makes my teeth hurt," I muttered. Raziel made a sound like a small laugh, but I wasn't sure if that's what it was. We easily dispatched Moebius's goons and continued on our way to the garden. We walked in silence, for I was too rapt in my own thoughts to speak. Finally, without realizing it, I did speak:

"Your bane's a tearful destiny."

Startled, Raziel looked at me in surprise. "What? What does that mean?" I didn't answer. I just started to sing:

"_I have seen this bitter end,__  
as I've foreseen the storm and ice_  
_And I could see it,_  
_how a million died, and I?  
__The blame's on me_  
'_cus I, I was not there__You can't escape from my damnation__  
Nor run away from isolation_  
'_Guilty,' spoke the One_  
'_This deed can't be undone.'_

_Hear my words  
Fear my curse_

_I know where the stars glow_  
_Sky's unclouded  
Sweet the water runs, my friend  
But Noldor  
blood is on your hands  
Tears unnumbered  
you will shed and dwell in pain_

_Dead winter reigns!_  
_And tomorrow's still unknown  
Lies! __  
Condemned and betrayed,__  
now everything's said__  
See my eyes full of tears,__  
and a cruel price we've paid__  
But still I can't claim__  
that I'm innocent_

_Lost…"_

Raziel gazed at me thoughtfully. "What does that mean?"

"Raziel," I said sadly. "I feel like the war, the original war between the winged race and the Hylden wouldn't have started if I hadn't been born. I feel like something truly horrifying is going to happen and it's all my fault, all my fault…" Raziel put his arms around me comfortingly, protectively.

"It's not you fault," he said gently. "None of it is. Don't be upset. We're going to help each other, remember? You'll help me to unlock my destiny, and I'll help you to disentangle your past. Though I must agree with the last stanza of your song, that we've both been condemned and betrayed and cruelly tried and tested, at least we're together. I'll keep you close to me, safe with me, always." I smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you, Raziel," I said. "I do feel safe with you." He slowly released me and gazed into my eyes. "We have things to do, I think." He nodded and we continued walking. As we went through the garden, I saw bushes of roses still growing and flourishing amid the ruin. To my surprise, they were all of different and impossible colours: blue, purple, green, gold, silver, black. I didn't want to stop Raziel, though I had no intention of allowing him to raise Janos, so I stooped quickly and plucked a blue rose as we went past. We entered the crypt silently, and I remembered my dream where Raziel carried my heart down to Janos's body. This time, however, he had the correct heart. I was slightly sickened for an instant to see Janos's body in its current state, but I regained my composure quickly. Raziel went up beside Janos, holding the Heart. He raised it, preparing to replace it in Janos's chest.

"You don't want to be doing that."

Raziel froze in surprise and turned to me. "What? Why not?"

I sighed. "Raziel, I know you'll hate to hear this, but Kain was right. You cannot raise Janos. If you do, you will be playing right into the Hylden's hands. I know you hate that idea even more. You have to listen to me. You said you trusted me; you wanted me to help you. Step down from there and come to me." Puzzled, hurt almost, Raziel did as I said. I smiled at him as gently as I could.

"If you intended to stop me, why did you let me kill Kain?" he asked softly.

"Because you know what _has_ happened," I said. "_I_ know what _will_ happen. We'll need the Heart before this little farce comes to a close." Raziel looked like he wanted to protest, so I walked past him slowly and went to Janos. "I miss him," I said sadly. "I remember so many good times with him, how we were such good friends. I want to raise him, to talk to him again. But we cannot. In time, it may be safe, but it is not now. I'm sorry." I was apologizing both to Janos and Raziel, but I don't think Raziel realized that. I place the blue rose on Janos's folded hands and took the golden Oroboros from around his neck. That done, I stepped off the dais, gazing sadly at Raziel. I raised my hands slowly, tentatively, and then quickly clasped Raziel's shoulders. The room vanished around us, replaced by the council chamber of the Vampire Citadel.

"What are you doing?" asked Raziel, startled. "Where have you brought us?"

"I'd like you to listen," I said. "I'm going to tell you a story, in Janos's words." Puzzled, Raziel nodded. I tried to remember the _Defiance_ game script. "We are within the ancient citadel of the Vampire race, long ago defiled and abandoned. This fortress endured through centuries of war against the great enemy, the Hylden. From this chamber the Ancients witnessed the summoning of the Pillars, and the banishment of their adversaries from the land." I broke off as a low grinding sounded from the Pillars in the distance. "The Binding is weakening…the hour of prophecy is at hand."

"It's too late. The Pillars are already damned," said Raziel, confused at my strange speech, words that were not my own.

"As long as a single vampire stands, there is still hope," I told him. "The Pillars must not remain under human guardianship. They are not competent to serve. No, don't interrupt. I know the world could end this instant for all you care, so listen to me." Mollified, Raziel relaxed, and I continued: "The Hylden cursed the Ancients as they fell, afflicting them with a predatory blood-thirst. But with this transformation came their enemies' true revenge: immortality."

"They liberated the Ancients from the Wheel of Fate," objected Raziel, and I let him object.

"That's how _I_ saw it," I agreed. "However, Janos and the other Ancients felt differently. They felt their souls were _imprisoned_ in their flesh, expelling them from the "purifying" cycle of death and rebirth."

"And yet they passed the curse on," said Raziel, with some accusation not meant for me. I nodded.

"It was a 'necessary evil', as Janos would have said. Their immortality banished them from the Elder's grace – he turned his sight from them, and fell silent. Many took their own lives, unable to bear the separation from their God."

"Not Janos, though," said Raziel thoughtfully.

"For which I'm very thankful," I said. "Curse or blessing, it was the price they pay to keep the Hylden banished from the land. To sustain the Binding, they had to preserve their – your – bloodline. And so they passed the Dark Gift to the human successors of their fallen Guardians. The humans rebelled, inevitably, refusing the curse and seizing the Pillars as their own. And so we come to our present dilemma. While mankind governs the Pillars, the Binding decays. The Hylden strain against the barriers of their prison, scratching to gain a foothold back into this world.

"And what does all this mean to me?" asked Raziel.

"Don't be rude. We stand at the threshold of a new aeon, Raziel, and you are the fulcrum upon which the entire vampire race's destiny turns. Beneath this room lies their innermost sanctum – the outer chamber has been opened. It appears events are already in motion. This token is the key to the mysteries you seek." I handed him the golden Oroboros. "I can't go with you into this, I'm afraid. You have to face this trial alone. When you prevail – which I know you will – you will have your answers. At least, more of them." Raziel gazed at me and nodded. I hugged him. "Luck go with you," I said softly. "And 'ware to the Reaver! Remember, the Reaver is a key that unlocks many doors." Raziel embraced me gently before going down into the inner sanctum. I didn't want to wait alone for him, but I had to. Or did I? I didn't know. I just didn't want to see the monstrous Elder God. I paced back and forth across the chamber, my hands clasped tightly behind my back. Minutes stretched on into hours; hours lasted forever. I couldn't _stand_ waiting! If there's one thing I've always hated, it's waiting! That's all a kid ever does, you know. That's all anyone ever does! All their lives are spent waiting. I growled in frustration and kicked the wall as I spun on my heel and paced the other way.

"You are wearing a rut in the floor."

I jumped and spun to face the doorway, delighted to hear Raziel's voice. I ran to him and embraced him tightly. "You have succeeded?" I asked.

Raziel raised the Spirit Reaver. "I have." I smiled. Suddenly we were both thrown by a tremendous rumble. Raziel's arms tightened around me, securing me. "Soul! What is this!"

"The Binding is failing," I said. "But all is not lost this time."

"_This_ time? What are you talking about?" asked Raziel.

"Raziel, had you raised Janos Audron, he would have brought you here and told you everything I did," I said. "But he also would have provided the blood of the Hylden's ancient enemy that they need to complete the breaking of the Binding and pass into this world again. That is why Janos could not be raised." My voice stuck in my throat for a moment as I thought of what had to happen next. "There's more, I'm afraid. Do you trust me?"

Raziel was thrown by the question. "Of course I trust you, I-"he began, and stopped.

I cocked my head, curious. "What?"

"-love you," said Raziel softly. I was as thrown as he had been. I never expected that. Composing myself, I smiled.

"I love you too," I said, and for the first time I felt something when I said those all-powerful words. I felt a glowing warmth in my heart that spread all through me, an infinite happiness that I thought I would die if it ever stopped. We embraced again, and I kissed Raziel's cheek lightly. "This is all the better, for what I am about to tell you is very hard for me. Had you raised Janos, he would be possessed by the Hylden Lord now, and you two would battle. Janos would beg you to kill him, but you could not. The Hylden Lord would rally and attack, damaging your physical form beyond sustaining. You would fade into the Spectral Realm and there confront the Elder God. What you learn there I cannot tell you, because I don't understand it. The only way for you to learn the secrets there is to enter the Spectral Realm." Raziel stood silent for a moment, contemplating. At length, he nodded.

"I understand," he said. He squeezed me gently one last time and stepped back. "Hit me with your strongest magick. Don't hold back."

"Are you sure?" I asked softly, even though I knew it was the only way.

"I'm sure," said Raziel confidently, steeling himself for my attack. I closed my eyes and remembered my training with Janos, all that he taught me about my powers. Gathering energies I never knew I had, I manifested a great black and green ball of power, preparing to hurl it at the first person who had ever loved me.

"Please don't do anything foolish," I said softly as I released the energy ball. Raziel gave a cry as it hit him, slamming against the wall and sliding to the floor. I rushed to his side just as his material body dissipated. I sighed, hoping that what I feared would not come to pass. There was no time to lose; I had to find Kain. Going to the gaping hole in the wall facing the Pillars, I spread my arms and vanished.


	17. Chapter XVII

**A/N:** I don't own the quote from "The Soulforged".

Chapter XVII

I opened my eyes, gazing around the pit where the demonized Turel had, until recently, lurked. Kain should be here, but in a different dimension which I could not remember how to access. It didn't matter, really; I knew Kain would appear here in a few minutes…unless I had missed him, in which case everything was lost. I knew how to save Raziel from his ghastly fate, but I needed to tell Kain first so he didn't do something stupid. I waited anxiously as the minutes dragged by. Just as I was about to rush back to the citadel and pray I wasn't too late, a portal opened near my arm. I jumped back, not wanting to get sucked in by mistake, as Kain appeared.

"Oh thank the gods," I sighed in relief. Kain was startled by my presence.

"Soul? What are you doing here? Where's Raziel?" he asked.

"Back at the Vampire Citadel," I said. "We cannot linger here. I have set a ball rolling down a hill, and it is gathering momentum at an alarming rate without my aid. I will cast a spell that will transport us back."

"You know how?" asked Kain in surprise.

"I remember," I said. I grasped his arm and we vanished together. We rematerialized in the council chamber of the citadel. Kain gazed out at the ruined Pillars.

"I know what ominous hour this is in Nosgoth's history," he said with some regret. "For here is the event that shaped my entire existence – I cast my fate, refusing the sacrifice, damning the Pillars, and founding my doomed empire upon their ruins. I raise the Sarafan priests to be my closest lieutenants, and one day cast the strongest of them, my servant Raziel, into the Abyss – dealing one last hand to play against Fate. But in the end, did it make any difference? Did I misread the signs, as Moebius told me? In my arrogance, did I miss my cast at destiny?" I looked at him curiously.

"That coin of yours still has not struck the ground," I said. "Haven't you realized yet? On the one side of your coin we see you, Kain, vampire lord of Nosgoth. On the other side we see Raziel, strongest of you lieutenants, condemned to an unspeakable nightmare when he was cast into the Abyss by your order. But _on the edge_ you see…_me._ A Hylden/vampire hybrid whose destiny outshines that of you or Raziel. Didn't you know? _I_ am the edge of the coin, the one who binds both sides together to make something entirely new and unexpected." Kain looked at me thoughtfully.

"You may be right," he said at length.

"I _am_ right," I said. "But there's no time for that now. Come on; follow me, quickly." Taking his hand I pulled him down into the chamber where I had sent Raziel such a short time ago. Moebius was below us, groveling like the worm he was before a God he could not see. Kain and I looked at each other and nodded, knowing what to do. We floated silently to the bottom of the great pit, landing soundlessly behind Moebius, who was completely unaware of our presence.

"...the Hylden would have merely been an inconvenient consequence. They would have been dealt with in time," Moebius was saying to the unseen Elder God. Kain quietly drew the Blood Reaver as Moebius continued, "It's a small price to pay for Kain's death."

"You're a bit premature," Kain commented, almost conversationally. Moebius whirled around, aghast.

"_Kain!"_ he cried in horror and disbelief. Oh how I loved to see him like that. I smiled at him insolently, reflecting back all his contempt and malice onto him.

"Is there a crack in your omniscience after all, Moebius?" Kain inquired. Moebius repeatedly activated his staff, with no effect. I laughed at his desperation. Kain also was amused.

"First your omniscience, and now your powers," he said with a mocking sigh. "You're slipping badly."

"This is not possible..." began Moebius, but he never finished. Kain struck the staff from Moebius's hand and seized him by the arm. He held Moebius's palm against the hole in his chest so he could feel that Kain had no heartbeat.

"The part of me that staff affected is no longer in its place. But you already knew that, didn't you," sneered Kain. It was then that I remembered our old friendship and wondered briefly how I could ever have thought that he was a sadistic monster.

Kain pushed Moebius away roughly. "I always _was_ considered heartless. And now, Moebius, it is time."

"To kill me? Again?" demanded Moebius. I tried, and failed, to disguise a laugh as a cough at the word _again._ How many times can one die? "Your only solution, for every problem: _kill_._"_

Kain only shrugged. "This is not a debate. You see, this time, you have nothing that I want." He seized Moebius again, this time impaling him on the Reaver. I grinned in malicious delight at the bloody scene, relishing Moebius's peril, which even he had not foreseen.

"You think this will matter?" choked Moebius, struggling to speak. "I serve One who has power over life and death."

"He doesn't care," I informed him.

"Then go to him," said Kain at the same time. He pushed Moebius off the blade. The Time-Streamer fell and lay dying on the floor.

"I am his obedient...his _devoted_ servant..." he gasped, struggling to maintain a dignity which he never really possessed. "Soon, all pain will fade, and my master will bring me life once more."

"Yeah, uh, no he won't," I said, but Moebius was dead. I nudged his body with the toe of my boot. I straightened, satisfied that I wasn't too late. "By the way," I said, not turning to face Kain. "I'm…sorry. For what I said about you in my room to my friend. I didn't understand then."

"It's all right," replied Kain, remembering how I had called him "scary beyond all reason". I smiled and turned back to him. "So what are you planning? I remember that light in your eyes. No one who has seen it can ever forget. What's on your mind?"

"It's like this-" I began, but stopped, frowning. "Did you feel something?"

"No," said Kain, puzzled at my actions. I shrugged.

"It was probably nothing," I lied, but I knew what it was. Moebius was dead. Permanently, I mean. Raziel had impaled and consumed him, learning the secret of the Spirit Reaver. I gazed thoughtfully at the staff Moebius had left behind. "I wonder if that thing still has its power now that its bearer is dead."

"I'm not sure," said Kain, examining the staff. I tensed, waiting. I could feel movement behind me and I knew what it was: Raziel was back, possessing Moebius's body.

'_So, that accursed Time-Streamer had a use after all,'_ I mused inwardly. When what happened next happened, I was ready for it.

"Kain," said Raziel through Moebius's mouth and in Moebius's voice. Kain turned and reacted quickly, but I jumped between them and caught Kain's arm, holding him with a strength I never knew I possessed.

"Stay your hand!" I cried. Kain stared at me. "It's Raziel!" With those words, Kain gasped and looked up again. Moebius's body had fallen away and Raziel stood there, stunned.

"Soul, what are you doing!" cried Raziel. "You should know better than anyone-"

"I _do,"_ I said. "And I know better than you. I'm telling you, you cannot do this." I released Kain's arm when I knew he wouldn't attack, and turned to face Raziel, tears burning my eyes. "Raziel, I love you. I can't let this happen, not when there's _another way."_

"What other way?" asked Raziel.

"I am the edge of Kain's proverbial coin, and you two are the two sides," I said. "The edge of a coin holds the sides together to form one solid object. That is what I do to our destinies. This isn't the only outlet to the Spirit Forge. This isn't the last element. There is one more."

"What one?" asked Kain. In response, I half-sang:

"_And from the flames, as chance would have it  
The Soul Forge will come into light!__  
And from the flames, as chance would have it__  
The Soul Forge, the stainless will rise!"_

"Soul Forge?" repeated Raziel. I nodded.

"Now I know what it's for," I said. "Now I know what _I'm_ for. Only I know where it is!"

"How?" asked Kain.

"_Because I built it,"_ I said. Both Kain and Raziel stared at me with an unrecognizable emotion in their eyes. "Don't look at me like that. Let's get out of here, back to the surface, and I'll show you where it is." I made my way out, Kain and Raziel following me as I led them back to the council chamber. Once there, I stopped in the centre of the room, frowning as I tried to remember.

"_Mornie," _I muttered, _"Kala, Uur, Linde!"_ There was a small flash as four different-coloured lights flared and settled in the air in a certain way. "These," I said, gesturing, "are the four main Forges in Nosgoth. That is, they are the four which are above ground and are of the most consequence geographically. In the centre here-" I broke off, making a silent apology to my geometry teacher and connecting the lights with my finger so that a line of light appeared between them, and then I whispered, _"Galadriël,"_ saying the word as a spell, not a name. The words I had spoken meant darkness, air, fire, light, and soul respectively. When I said the word for 'soul', a new mark flared up in the middle of the others. "That," I said, "is the Soul Forge, a few miles to the east of Vorador's manor. That is where I can work my strange magick at its strongest. I remember that now. _That's_ what's been pulling at the back of my mind this whole time. In that place is where my blend of necromancy and alchemy works its best." I looked at my companions, waiting for something, anything.

"What do you plan to do?" asked Raziel finally.

"I have spun a new coin, and that is where it will land," I answered. "On the one side of this coin, you allow yourself to be absorbed into the Reaver and are lost to me forever, the Scion of Balance's mighty weapon. On the other side, you do not, and the Scion of Balance never rises to restore Nosgoth, but you remain with me forever as you are." Raziel gazed down at his ragged appearance with some dismay. _"But,"_ I said, making sure I had their full attention, "but then we have the edge of the coin, on which I extricate your soul from your body and weld it irretrievably to the Reaver blade forevermore and you die completely. Then I use the Heart of Darkness to resurrect you, once more restored to your former glory and strength, more powerful than ever before. What say you?" Raziel didn't say anything, nor did Kain. I doubted that they would anyway. I just stood and waited patiently. However, they stayed silent longer than I had anticipated, and I was growing anxious. "Raziel," I said gently. "You yourself said that I was unnaturally strong. You said you trusted me completely. Do you doubt me yet? Or do you doubt yourself?"

"Not you, never you," said Raziel. "But…are you certain?"

"Certain?" I repeated. "If you want 'certain', hire yourself a witch; I'm just your lover." I sighed. "This is getting us nowhere, so I'll make the decision for you, K?"

"Wait, what are you-?" began Kain, but my spellcasting was faster than his protesting. We materialized outside a great Forge door made of black marble. I placed my left hand on the door and it slid open for me easily. I knew Kain and Raziel would follow me, so I walked inside. Just as I thought, they hurried in behind me before they were locked out. The inside of my Forge was similar to the others, except without the unnecessary puzzles and challenges to pass through first. There were murals, more accurate and self-explanatory than the others, depicting the winged race in their prime and the rise of the Hylden, all the way up to this point. Deep inside, where I led Raziel and Kain, was the altar. Or at least, _an_ altar. Nothing came out of it at the moment. I didn't need it to. On three of the walls were three separate murals: one depicting Raziel's terrible fate of being trapped forever in the blade of the Soul Reaver while Kain wielded it for the salvation of Nosgoth, one depicting Kain and Raziel together watching as Nosgoth sunk ever deeper into pestilence and ruin, and one in the middle of these two depicting me working my magick to try and spare Raziel while still forging the weapon of the Scion of Balance. I sighed and sat on the edge of the altar.

"This is your Soul Forge?" asked Kain quietly. I nodded, gazing around.

"No one else knows this place exists," I said. "Not Janos Audron, not even my parents. All the murals I painted myself, though they're not very good. I'm sorry I never shared this place with you, Raziel, but the time wasn't right. I knew you'd understand."

"I do understand," said Raziel, gazing around. "And I do trust you. And I want to be with you forever. I want to ride the winds of Eternity with you, like you said that warm spring night nearby the tree, remember?" I looked at him in surprise, then thoughtfulness.

"I _do_ remember," I said softly. "The thorny acacia tree, wasn't it? Yes, I remember that." I rose slowly, gazing at him. Raziel looked at the mural of me casting my spells to save him from his fate one more time, then he nodded. He turned back to me with an air of determination and decidedness.

"Cast your spells, then," he said. "I'm ready to be free of my fate."


	18. Chapter XVIII

**A/N:** I don't own Locks of Love, or the Elvish used. The words in bold are a translation, and are not spoken. Oh, and Soul's gown can be seen at TheDarkAngel dot co dot uk (without the spaces and with a . instead of 'dot'; this site is being stupid) under Gowns - it's the Damselle Dress.

Chapter XVIII

I had been dreading and anticipating Raziel's response, and now that it was uttered I had no choice but to do as he asked. How could I deny him this chance at freedom, true freedom? Only a heartless snake like Moebius or that horrendous squid-thing that called itself a god could do something like that. But I loved Raziel. I had made a promise.

I nodded and went into an adjacent chamber for a moment. There I gathered the supplies I needed, remembering the use for each as I touched it, and put a long coat of crushed silver velvet on over my clothes. Somehow performing a soul-switching ritual in frayed-edged denim shorts and a blue T-shirt that said 'Biker Chick' seemed wrong. I let my hair out of its braid and let it tumble down my back like a waterfall. I loved the sensation, which is why I had always kept my hair long, save for one time when I cut off a foot of it and donated it to Locks of Love. I was proud of what I had done, but I decided that I wanted to keep my long hair next time. Finished, I sighed and reentered the altar chamber where Raziel and Kain waited for me.

"Let's do this," I said. Raziel nodded.

"What must I do?" he asked.

"Try to relax," I replied heavily. I fingered the talisman I had put around my neck: a pagan talisman to prevent accidents. More than ever did I need this charm. "Lay down on the altar. Kain, lay the Blood Reaver alongside him." Both did as I said, and I approached the altar slowly. There was no turning back now. I had to do this. Banishing all doubt and fear from my mind and aura, I began:

_"Irma haeannon._ **Dimension door**_,"_ I intoned. A shimmering haze, slightly tinted green, appeared between Raziel and the Reaver. Raziel shifted uncomfortably, and I knew why: the haze was a door to the dimension of souls, and would no doubt enhance the temporal distortion Raziel already felt when near to or in contact with the Reaver. The stage was set. I raised my arms, holding one hand over Raziel and the other over the Reaver, speaking words no one, not even I, will ever know until men are faerie-tales in books written by rabbits. But there was great magick in these words: words to strengthen, words to detach, words to displace, words to bind, words to seal. Raziel writhed as I cast on him, but I could not allow compassion to disrupt my concentration. He gave one last great cry of anguish, his back arching, body tensed, as his soul finally tore free of what remained of its corporeal shell. I caught hold of it with my astral hand and pushed it into the Reaver, where it wanted to go. I bound it there and sealed it forever. Now no one, not even I, could ever undo the spell. The Reaver glowed as it became the Soul Reaver…the blade which I created. Raziel's ragged body lay lifeless on the stone as I sealed the spell and released the energy I had been using, gasping as I tried to catch my breath. Slowly I picked up the Reaver by the hilt, examining it with great interest. Then I smiled at Kain and tossed the sword in the air, easily catching it by the very end of the blade and laying the flat across my arm.

"Your sword, Kain, Scion of Balance," I said. Kain slowly took the hilt and I relinquished the blade to him. "Your destiny is fulfilled. The two become one – both Soul Reavers together – and the Scion of Balance is healed." For the first time Kain noticed that the rather unsightly hole in his chest had closed. I smiled and gestured to Raziel, saying gently, "And he was not your _enemy_; not your _destroyer._ He was, as before, your right hand. Your _sword_."

"I know," said Kain nodding. "I always knew." He walked around to the other side of the altar, where Raziel lay. In an almost fatherly fashion, he stroked Raziel's head. "What nightmare did I condemn Raziel – my son – to when I cast him into the Abyss?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to," I replied. "Besides, you will see soon enough. And now I must fulfill the latter half of my promise to him." Gently shooing Kain to one side, I stood over Raziel once more. I took the Heart from him, unable to keep from thinking of Janos. "He would want this," I said softly. Kain nodded, understanding. Trying to quell my inherent disgust, I carefully reached into Raziel's exposed ribcage and fixed the Heart there firmly. Nothing happened, as I expected. I looked at Kain. "Your sword, please," I said. "Place the tip over Raziel's heart. His soul within the blade will react and restore him." Kain did as I asked. A blue glow manifested over the Heart's new resting place and Raziel convulsed. Kain leapt back so as not to impale him by accident, and I watched in fascination. Organs came first, regrowing back into their original places. Bones formed to hold and protect them. Tissue, muscle, skin…all of it grew back before our eyes. His skin lost its blue colour and returned to being its original creamy-silver colour. His hair grew slightly, brushing his earlobes in the front while trailing down to his shoulders in the back. His wings were restored to their bat-like beauty, just as on the night when he shared his first and last thrill of flying with me. I remembered that now, and I smiled thinking of it. Finally the convulsions ceased and Raziel lay still, breathing heavily, his eyes tightly shut.

"Is he all right?" asked Kain anxiously. I never knew that Kain could be anxious and I smiled.

"He's fine," I said. "Don't let him get up yet; I'll be right back." Before Kain could ask questions, I was gone into the other chamber again. There was something important there, something I remembered. What was it? _Where _was it? Ah, yes, the wardrobe…I opened the wardrobe and found exactly what I was looking for: a stunning dress made from high quality black panne velvet with a contrasting front panel in rich wine-coloured shot silk velvet. Each side of the front panel was trimmed with an ornate black braid, which was laced under the bust area with a pretty satin ribbon and also trimmed the sweetheart neckline. The top sleeves were made from black velvet and were fully lined in contrasting satin to match the front panel. The under sleeves were stretch lace, tightly fitted and coming to a point over the hand. The point of each sleeve was trimmed with a tiny satin rosebud. This I donned quickly, as well as the black satin slippers with a red rosebud on the front opening. I was dressed exactly as I had been when Raziel and I first met. Smiling, I went out to the altar chamber again to see him: my handsome, brave warrior, my dark angel, my sweet love. There he lay, like a sacrificial angel, waiting for me. He had relaxed finally, and lay as though sleeping. Kain was watching over him. He looked up when I entered and looked surprised to see me in my gown. I smiled and approached Raziel. My fingers lightly brushed his shoulder and he shivered slightly. He was wearing next to nothing; only his tattered shoulder drape remained around the lower half of his face, just enough of his pants to keep him "decent", and worn scraps of leather around his ankles that had once been his boots. I pushed his hair out of his eyes lovingly – for I knew now that I loved him and had always loved him – and gently traced my fingers down his cheek.

"Raziel, my beloved," I said softly, gently. "Awake. We have returned, my love. We have finally come full circle back to the way we were. You remember how we were. Awake." A small sound escaped Raziel's lips and his eyes opened slowly. He stared at me, uncomprehending at first. Then his eyes – his beautiful tawny eyes – widened as he recognized me. For a moment, he was once again Kain's chief lieutenant and I was the beloved princess being presented before him and his brothers.

_"Aranel?_**Princess?**_"_ he whispered, reaching up to touch my cheek. I smiled and closed both my hands over his.

"My brave strong warrior," I murmured. "How do you feel?"

"I feel good," said Raziel, sounding surprised. "I feel very good. Better than ever, in fact."

"As would be expected," I said happily, helping him to sit up. I handed him a hand mirror from a table nearby. "Look at yourself, Raziel. See the gift I've given you." Puzzled Raziel took the mirror and looked at his reflection…and gasped, something I thought I'd never hear. He pulled the cowl away from his face and saw his jaw and mouth reattached where they belonged, his black lips parted in wonder. He touched his skin, looking down at himself and then staring at me.

"How?" he asked. "How is this possible?"

"You said that anything's possible where I am concerned," I replied with a grin. "Do you remember that?"

"Of course I remember," he said distantly. "But…_how?"_ I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Do you remember what you told me?" I asked. Raziel just looked at me blankly. " 'You learned alchemy from your father,' " I quoted, " 'and necromancy from your mother, who was more powerful even than Mortanius. But you did something no one believed possible: you found a way to _combine them.' _That is what I did. I used both to tear your soul free of your body and displace it into the Reaver. Then I used the Heart of Darkness – which I told you had another use – to restore you. Without it, even I could not raise you again to your former glory. You would have been as you were: a ragged wraith, hating his own appearance. I know you wouldn't want that, and neither did I. I won't let you be used or hurt again. I love you too much to let that happen."

Raziel just stared at me thoughtfully for a moment, contemplating what I had said, still holding my hand. Then, to my surprise, he pulled me close to him, slid his hand against the back of my head, and pressed his lips to mine. I responded, savouring the sweet kiss…the first of my human life, and the first in centuries of my true life. We embraced tightly, and I knew then that there was nothing more for me to learn; I remembered all and more. Here in this place with Raziel, I knew more than I ever had before. Everything seemed clear to me, yet nothing mattered. We stayed like this for a time, until I remembered that there were other matters to be seen to before we could celebrate any kind of victory. I gently pulled back and pulled Raziel to his feet.

"We have more to do," I said. "There is one last endeavor." I turned to Kain. "With the blade purified with Raziel's soul, you will now see the true enemy. We must return to the Spirit Forge. There all things will be revealed."


	19. Chapter XIX

Chapter XIX

I cast a spell to transport us back to the council chamber of the citadel after showing Raziel to the wardrobe where I still kept some of his things so he could clothe himself properly. Once that was done, we returned. I was loath to lead them back to the inner sanctum where the Elder Squid would be revealed to Kain at last, but I had no choice really. As I mentioned, I knew more now than I knew while I still lived knowingly in this world. I knew now that it wasn't Kain or Raziel who never understood anything: it was the Elder God who didn't. It wasn't Kain's fate that should have scared the Elder: it was _mine._

"You are unusually solemn, even considering the situation," said Raziel. "What's the matter?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing," I said, too quickly. Raziel obviously didn't believe me, but didn't press the matter. I had single-handedly rewritten his and Kain's fates in one fell swoop. Now it was my turn. Silently I proceeded into the Spirit Forge, and Kain and Raziel followed me. I gazed at Raziel in sad silence and he understood that I felt he should stay behind at the top of the Forge. He nodded, and I managed a smile for his sake. I was the first to jump down and land before the Elder whom I could see from the beginning, even without the Reaver's purifying fire. I glared hatefully at the gargantuan squid. "I would kill you if I could just for having _that_ many eyeballs all in the same place," I informed him. The monster just laughed as Kain landed behind me.

"So...I am revealed to you at last," sneered old Squid-Face.

"What in the hell..." said Kain.

"I am the origin of Life... the devourer of Death," said the Elder over-dramatically. "I am the hub of the Wheel, the purifying cycle to which all souls must be drawn."

"You're forgetting 'incredibly long-winded'," I pointed out. Had the Elder had a visible mouth, it probably would have frowned.

"Did I condemn Raziel to this nightmare when I cast him into the Abyss?" Kain asked softly.

"Well, yeah," I said, "yeah, actually, you did." The room shook.

"Ah Galadriël, my child, it is good to see you again after all this time," said the Elder.

"Come again?" I asked.

"My child," repeated the monster fondly. "My daughter."

"I am none of yours!" I protested angrily. "How dare you!" The Elder laughed, obviously delighted at my fury and underlying confusion.

"Oh, but you are," he said. "From the first breath you ever drew, you were mine."

"_Go back to your master, Moebius! Tell him I am not his!"_

Now where did that come from? It certainly sounded like something I'd say. Oh yes, I remembered. I had been arguing with Moebius about his _religion_ as it were. He grew frustrated and declared that I was a part of his God. That's how I had retaliated. I frowned.

"Haven't you realized yet?" asked the Elder, relishing knowing something that I didn't. "You, by the natural order of things, should never have even been conceived! Haven't you ever wondered why it was that you were born?"

"Yes, but I never sought to gain that knowledge from _you,"_ I said with as much contempt as I could muster.

"It was I who sanctioned your birth," said the Elder. "It was I who implanted your father's seed in your mother's womb. I knew she would raise you when you were stillborn. And I knew that you would grow to be the most powerful and indestructible creature on this earth. All the strengths and powers of both vampire and Hylden…none of their weaknesses. You are, for all intents and purposes, _my_ child. And you will always be."

"Your words are poison, snake-tongue, and I do not hear them," I said. Basically, I had just called the Elder a liar.

"Deny it all you wish," replied the beast casually. "But that does not change the truth."

"Why, then?" I challenged the creature. "Why did you allegedly _create_ me? What possible advantage could there have been for you?"

"At first, it was only an experiment," said the Elder, "but in time, I began to see that you would be most useful to me. I knew you would one day reach a point where you would stop growing, and your powers would be at their greatest. That day came a year ago when you turned sixteen. However, your father knew what I was going to do. He followed you to the Abyss when you went to grieve for your dearly departed Raziel-"

"Silence!" I hissed, but the monstrosity paid me no heed.

"-and saw my attempt to gain your soul for my own," the creature continued as though I had not spoken. "I had called to you, you remember? I showed you a path to reunite you with Raziel. You were on the brink of jumping into the swirling Charybdis that is the Lake of the Dead, where you would have drowned and I would have claimed your soul _and_ your empty vessel as my own – for I could possess your body and collect souls who escape into the physical realm – when your damned father came and saw. He cast you into the portal between this world and the Hylden dimension, sealing you beyond my grasp. He cursed me for taking Raziel and trying to take you, and said that you were not mine. But you _are_, Galadriël. You _are_ mine."

"Well, that was a lovely bedtime story Grampa, but what about the 'happily ever after' bit?" I asked sarcastically. Inside, though, I was thoroughly shaken. Everything he said had made sense. I remembered it all now. If he consumed my soul he would gain my power and strength. And my body was the only one in this world durable enough for him to possess. My stomach churned, but I willed it to be still.

"Do you still defy me?" asked the Elder, now showing the first signs of annoyance.

"Of course I defy you; I've always defied you!" I cried. "And I defy you to say you don't care, if you can! In the name of hellfire and blood, why do you continue this charade? You are no god, you are a monster! A voracious parasite cloaking its appetite in a shroud of righteousness!" I knew that Raziel was looking at me in surprise for saying exactly what he had, but I didn't, at the moment, care. The Elder too was surprised. "You fear Raziel and I because you cannot control us, and you never could! We are not chained to your demonic Wheel. And have you not realized that your Wheel has a wrench in it? You don't seem to realize that twice already Raziel has been 'redeemed in the cleansing agony of birth, death and rebirth', to use your words."

"How so?" demanded the Elder.

"He was born a human, and he died a human," I said. "Then he was reborn as a vampire, and as such he died again until you revived him as a wraith. And actually, he has undergone this cycle a third time as of late."

"What do you mean?" said the Elder, now growing angry to mask his worry. I smiled the same twisted mockery of a smile that had chilled Moebius's heart upon our first meeting. I looked up high and stretched out my hand to Raziel, who nodded and glided down to join Kain and me. The Elder's innumerable and off-putting eyeballs widened and rolled in rage and confusion when he saw Raziel restored to his original and magnificent form.

"How can this be!" thundered the monster.

"You're not as omniscient as you would like us to believe," I said with grim satisfaction. "I drew Raziel's soul – i.e., the Wraith Blade – out of his body, and so he died again. Then I used the Heart of Darkness to revive him and so he was reborn." Raziel smiled grimly.

"For all the eyes you appear to possess, you do not see much," he commented dryly.

"Indeed," I agreed. "Like Argus in the myth of Io, do you close half of your disgusting eyes at once to rest and then the other half later, but never all at once?"

"Enough!" roared the Elder. "I will have you yet!" Several of the beast's slimy tentacles advanced on us, but the Elder seemed to have forgotten about Kain, who came forward. "You may ponder the futility of your ambitions as you spend a deathless eternity beneath a mountain of rubble. You and your Soul Reaver will go equally mad as the eons pass. The Citadel of the apostates will become your living tomb."

Kain raised the Soul Reaver as one of the Elder God's tentacles advanced. "Your words are heartening-" he said as he severed the tentacle "-for you would not fear us unless we could truly do you harm."

Enraged, the Elder roared, _"No!_ You are _nothing!"_ and sent forth more tentacles.

Kain severed the tentacles, saying, "False God. This is the end. The final turn of your Wheel," punctuating his words with swings of the Reaver. The Elder roared like a wounded animal and attacked. "Raziel, get Soul out of here!"

"No, wait-!" I cried, but Raziel caught me around the waist and flew up to the mouth of the pit. "Raziel, no, you have to take me back-" I began, but Raziel gently laid a finger on my lips.

"We can do nothing more now," he said. "All we can do is wait and hope." I groaned loudly, but could not protest.

"There's one more destiny riddle that has to be solved," I said softly. "There's one more fate that has to be realized." Raziel did not hear me, thankfully. I knew Kain would triumph, and so I was not worried on that account. I was worried on my own. Suddenly the room shook with incredible violence, and I knew the time had come. Everything seemed to slow down, as often happens in video games during a climactic cinema sequence. I rushed past Raziel and jumped down into the pit before he could stop me. Kain was lunging for one final thrust, and I clasped both my hands around his and the Reaver's hilt, uttering words even more powerful than those used to displace Raziel's soul into the Reaver blade. The Soul Reaver – the cursed sword I had designed – glowed even brighter as it hit home into the Elder's biggest eye. He howled in agony, tentacles flailing, destroying the foundations of the Forge. I gave a small cry that no one ever heard. My lips parted and my teeth gritted. I gasped as I felt the strangest sensation…the sensation of my fangs distending from my teeth. I knew then what I had to do before it was too late. Revolting as it was, I plunged my fangs into the hateful orifice and sucked hard (that's not an innuendo, really it's not). The Elder didn't possess what a biology textbook defines as blood, but it had something. It was the most horrible, disgusting substance I had ever tasted in my life or ever would again, but still I drank. I had to take it all. It was thick, like Jell-O, only rubbery and sickening. I forced the gooey, coagulated gunk down my throat and into my outraged stomach. Finally there was no more, and I fell back with a cry of anguish. The noxious substance burned in me, filling me, _killing_ me. I dropped to the ground, unable to move, my hands clamped over my mouth to keep me from vomiting. I was hardly aware of Kain grabbing me and teleporting to the upper level of the Spirit Forge as the room crumbled. I was only aware of the sickness inside me and my mental pleading for it to end. But who was I pleading to? The Elder God was now dead. I fell again to the ground when Kain tried to set me on my feet. I didn't even feel it. I curled up there on the ground, shivering and drenched in a cold sweat. I moaned and cried out as I writhed in pain. I forced myself to swallow the bile and gunk that came up in my throat. Raziel picked me up, cradling me in his arms in the way I had once loved to be held, but now I only wailed in agony. Every movement was pure pain. I felt my body dying from the inside out. I howled again in pain as Raziel carried me out of the room, with Kain following. I heard their voices talking from high above me, but they seemed so strangely outside of me, as though I was in a glass box and they were on the outside looking in at me.

"What in the Holy Hell could have possessed her to _do_ that!" cried Raziel.

"I have no idea, but I could not pull her away no matter how hard I tried to," said Kain. I hadn't even known he had tried to stop me. It didn't matter. "She must have had a _reason,_ but what could that possibly be?"

"I don't know," said Raziel, looking down on me worriedly. "But I'm afraid this will kill her or drive her to madness." I moaned again.

"Not kill," I whispered hoarsely. Even _talking_ hurt! And I don't mean hurt as in a sore throat kind of hurt, I mean _hurt._ Physically! "Live. Not kill."

"Rest, my dearest," Raziel said softly, playing with my hair. "I'm going to take care of you." I half-nodded distractedly. I knew only one way to complete the transformation without losing my mind from the agony. I closed my eyes and urged my body into a self-induced coma. The last thing I heard was, "She's gone; now it'll be easier."


	20. Chapter XX

**A/N:** To John-Paul – I love you. Really, the way you exalt my stories, everything you say about them and the way I write…I always look forward to getting your reviews when I update a new chapter. Would you like me to make a character in this story for you? I'd be happy to. (hugs) Thank you so much!

Chapter XX

_I breathed in deeply, taking in Raziel's musky, masculine scent, and sighed with a smile. I loved this, lying on his chest, feeling his heart beating steadily, his arm around me. _This_ was bliss, _this_ was peace, _this was everything._ I sighed again, and Raziel held me closer. I gazed up at the sky above us, at the nightful of stars dancing and twinkling above us, at the great pearlescent moon glowing gently with the benign warmth of a mother. I snuggled closer to Raziel._

_"This is beautiful," I said softly._

"You_ are beautiful," replied Raziel. I sat up and looked at him. He smiled lovingly at me, reaching out to play with my long hair. "I asked you to come with me tonight because I…I have something I want to tell you." He sat up and faced me._

_"I'm listening," I said gently, curious. Raziel hesitated before speaking:_

_"When I first saw you…when Kain presented you to us as a princess…I was overwhelmed. You were more radiant than the full moon in winter, more dazzling than diamonds in the starlight, more graceful than a willow tree swaying in the breeze. All I could think about was you, and seeing you, and being alone with you. But it wasn't Aranel Galadriël who first touched my heart. It was adventurous Soul, trekking through the mountains and exploring the ancient ruins alone, with her hair in a braid and clad in boots, tunic, and leggings. It was the explorer who caught my attention, the mischievous sprite who loved to laugh and jest, whose eyes sparkled always with hidden mischief. What I wish to say, Soul, is that…I love you. I feel I always have." I just stared, enchanted. For so long I had wondered which side of me Raziel truly wanted to be with, and now I knew. He loved both sides. I smiled slowly._

_"Raziel," I whispered. "When I first met you and your brothers-in-arms, I knew you were different from them. You were – are – special. You were the strong silent type that makes the silly village girls swoon. But I knew that you were not nearly as…_flighty,_ shall we say, as your brethren. As I got to know all of you, I came to learn that there was something wrong with each one. Turel likes to think that his most powerful weapon is in his pants, Dumah has a massive sword stuck up his ass, Rahab is just plain cynical, Zephon is an unfunny prankster who treads on too many toes, and Melchiah is too moody and bitter for his own good. But you? You were perfect. And don't think I didn't notice your eyes on me while I went down the line of your brothers. I knew then, when I first looked into your beautiful tawny eyes that your soul was pure and good and uncorrupted. Your brothers already reeked of corruption, though it has not yet taken hold. You were so handsome and bold, though your knees seemed to turn to water when facing a pretty girl – something I find very endearing. You wear the sun in your eyes and the night sky in your hair. Your skin absorbs he moon's loving light. But most of all, you didn't come seeking my favour. I stood at a distance and watched. You were so shy and sweet. You still are. And I love you, Raziel. I love you."_

_For some time we sat facing each other, holding both hands. Slowly, we both leaned in toward each other. I wasn't sure what I was doing, but it felt so right. I had never been kissed before, save for by my parents. Never like this. My heart was racing, pounding hard and fast. I could hear Raziel's beating the same. We were nearly touching._

_"Soul," he breathed into my mouth gently, sending shivers through me. "My princess…" Our lips met, and we both realized that all the words in the world were meaningless gibberish, and the only true language was being spoken right then and there._

"I think she's coming around."

"No," I whispered. "Don't take it away…"

"Soul, dearest, it's me. Raziel. Wake up."

I groaned and sat up slowly. My head spun, but I no longer felt like ripping my own body apart in a demented frenzy to stop the unbearable pain. I blinked a few times and looked up. Raziel stood over me in concern. He relaxed a bit when he saw I was awake and sat on the bed next to me. Bed…?

"Where are we?" I asked. I looked all around. The room was familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place it, even with all the memories of this world returned to me. "I know this place."

"As well you should," said Kain, signaling his presence for the first time. "This is your room, Soul. You gave us quite a scare." I looked around again. Yes, it was my room. I remembered it now; Kain had given me a room in his keep for when I visited him, which was often. I realized then that I never really had a permanent home before, except in the Hylden dimension. I had always either stayed with Janos Audron or Kain, and traveled with my parents all around Nosgoth. Something in me told me this wasn't entirely true. There was somewhere…

"Soul, what did you do? And _why?"_

"Huh?" I asked stupidly. "Oh! In the Forge. Yes, I should have known you'd want an explanation. All right." I took a deep breath to prepare myself for what I was about to say. "All three of our destinies are closely intertwined, as you surely have realized. I needed you, Raziel, to forge the Soul Reaver into the soul-devouring weapon it is, and you, Kain, to destroy the Elder. I'm afraid I really am a part of that creature, and that is why I had to kill it. I drank his…I hesitate to call it 'blood', because it was nothing like it, but that's what it was. With that in my veins, _I_ am now the Elder God. Or God_dess,_ as it is. I now control the Wheel of Fate. And more than that, I am linked directly to the heart of the Pillars. Since they needed guardians chosen at birth, the Elder was there to make that choice. But now, it is in my jurisdiction. I am the Elder. I am the origin of Life...the devourer of Death. I am the hub of the Wheel, the purifying cycle to which all souls must be drawn." I couldn't bear to meet Raziel's eyes – those eyes that now looked at me in horror and disbelief. Kain, too, was shocked. In all honesty, so was I. For the first time I truly realized what I had done. I now knew why it was so easy for me to bypass Fate and change two destines completely without a thought. "I didn't ask for this. I just knew that this is what I had to do."

"But this means…" said Raziel softly. "Does this mean I…I'll never see you again?"

"Oh glory, no!" I said, startled. "Why would you think that? Oh, because of Squid-Face? No, I am not going to become like that, not now not ever. I promised that I would be with you forever, and I'll be damned if I'm not." Raziel looked more at ease now. "Someone had to take the monster's place. Someone had to restore the balance." Here I looked meaningfully at Kain. He understood. "There have to be new Guardians for the Pillars now. We have the Scion of Balance – that's a good start. But we need the other eight. And I think I know just who they might be. It will be a long and difficult process to bring them here, but it will be well worth it."

"Who are you talking about?" asked Kain.

"Raziel told me that my friends have a destiny here in Nosgoth, in this world, and that they would be joining me here soon. I think he was right. I think my friends are the new Pillar Guardians." There was silence, as I had expected. I waited patiently before adding, "And there is another, much closer. The Death Guardian to replace Mortanius."

"But Mortanius is alive," said Raziel, puzzled. I smiled grimly.

"He _was,"_ I replied. "When the Hylden Lord was forced to withdraw from his body, Mortanius died. He was severely weakened and broken in both body and spirit. He didn't even live long enough to rejoice in his freedom. He will need a replacement." Kain folded his arms, contemplating.

"So who _is_ his replacement?" he inquired.

"Raziel," I replied easily. Raziel was stunned. "Think about it. You know more about death than any of us, having been through it and back. You are undying! Doesn't it make sense? You, as the Death Guardian."

"Yes," said Raziel softly. "Yes, it makes sense. But…are you certain?"

"Of course I'm certain!" I said. "I'm the Elder Goddess. I control the Wheel. I create life and death. I'm certain!" Raziel laughed.

"Well, at least we know for sure that she's feeling better," he said. I pushed him, but smiled.

"I need to bring my friends here through the portal that my father sent me through," I said. "Where is he, anyway? I thought that maybe you might know, Kain."

"I'm afraid I don't," answered Kain. "He vanished along with you. No one had any idea where either of you were." I sighed.

"Then maybe he was in the Hylden dimension with me," I said sadly. "I need his help. A spell this massive cannot be cast by one alone. Sending someone somewhere is easy; bringing someone _back_ is much harder. I can't do it without him." The room began to spin again, and I put my hands to my temples. "In fact, I can't do much of anything right now except rest. I'm not feeling myself quite yet."

"I understand," said Raziel. "I just would like to know, what were you dreaming before? You looked so happy."

I smiled. "I was dreaming of the night we fell in love. We were lying out under the stars and talking about how we first met."

"Oh, I remember," said Raziel. He smiled too. "That was the night of our first kiss, was it not?"

"It was," I replied. We leaned toward each other and our lips met in our first kiss in centuries. I put my arms around Raziel's neck, and he put his around my waist, and the kiss went on, sweeter than blood, sweeter than life itself. I fell asleep in his arms.

When I woke, the last light of day was spilling through the window. Raziel lay curled up next to me. I smiled; he looked so sweet and innocent. I was the only one who ever thought that about him. I felt much better, more like myself again, as I sat up and stretched. As usual, nearly every joint cracked, snapped, and/or creaked. I ignored it. Something felt different, but I couldn't quite place what it was. I found out soon enough. The only warning of the attack that I got was a single bark. Then he was on me, and I couldn't fight him off. He had me right where he wanted me, and I was completely helpless against his attacks. It was-

"Fenrir!" I laughed delightedly as my sweet puppy-like wolf stood on my lap and licked my face ecstatically. I hugged him tightly, burying my face in his fur and taking in his familiar wolfy scent. He licked my ear, his tail wagging so hard it was a blur of black. "Oh Fenrir, buddy, how did you get here?" Fenrir barked once and looked over to the left. I followed his gaze and gasped. A man stood near my bed, smiling at me. A man I had seen once before in a dream. A man who had haunted my original ghost stories and horror fictions. If a man is what you would call him…


	21. Chapter XXI

**A/N:** I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've just been kinda sick lately and haven't made it to the computer. Plus, I had to go shopping for my mom's birthday and I still do, actually. But I'm still here!

Chapter XXI

The man smiled at me and I stared. I thought he was just a dream, but there he was before me exactly as I remembered him. Thick white hair barely brushing his chin, pale bluish-white skin, glowing red eyes, and a fearfully irresistible smile. Dressed all in black, he looked deadly but handsome, like a black widow is beautiful but dangerous. I shivered. No, no it couldn't be…

"Jonathon?" I asked, my voice a hoarse whisper. The man smiled again, revealing the gleaming fangs I remembered so well. In my dream, he had smiled at me thus while revealing the secrets of my life in a language I couldn't understand or remember when I woke. I only remembered those fangs suddenly rushing at me and darkness covering all. I couldn't get him out of my head, so I confined him to my stories. I always thought that's all that they were. I saw that I was wrong.

"Jonathon," he repeated softly. "Yes. That's what you called me _there._ But that's not my name _here."_

"…_Findecáno,"_ I said.

"That's right." Findecáno came closer and sat on the bed next to me. "Hello, my daughter."

"Hello," I said uncertainly. I didn't know what to do, or how to act. I knew this man was my father, and I remembered all that we had shared together, but I couldn't just jump into his arms with a jubilant cry of "Daddy!" I still remembered the Hylden man I thought was my father and my life with him. But the more I thought about it, the more my Hylden memories seemed to be…fake, somehow, and the man sitting next to me, waiting for permission to touch me, seemed real. Slowly I smiled and reached out to him with both arms. Delighted, Findecáno put his arms around me and held me close. I hugged him tightly. Fenrir sat next to us, patiently waiting for the opportunity to pounce on me again. I looked at him.

"I brought him here for you," said Findecáno, anticipating my question. "I know how much you love and must have missed that wolf, so I thought it would make you happy to have him back."

"It does," I replied, scratching Fen behind the ears. I looked up at Findecáno again. "I need your help to bring my friends here, to this world, from the Hylden dimension." Findecáno nodded.

"That's why I'm here," he said. "That, and I heard the news that you had returned. I had to see you again, after so long."

"I thought it's only been a year," I said, confused.

"A year, an eternity…what's the difference when you've sent your only child into the darkest depths of the most dangerous dimension known to the world?" Findecáno replied somewhat sadly. I was touched.

"I'm all right," I said quietly, not knowing what else to say. Raziel stirred slightly next to me and I turned and smiled at him. "Father, have you met Raziel?" I asked. Findecáno smiled.

"I don't believe I have," he answered, "but that can wait until the lad has awakened. He looks like he's been through a lot lately."

"Dragged through Hell and back," I asserted, nodding. "This is the first time in a very long time that he's been able to rest. We mustn't disturb him." I reached out and delicately brushed a few strands of Raziel's thick, soft hair out of his face. "His soul was never the Elder's to claim," I said softly. "Because it belongs to me. He gave it to me a long time ago. And I gave him mine in return."

"Soul…" whispered Raziel, turning over in sleep.

"I'm right here beside you, my love," I whispered back. "Where I've always been. Where I'll always be." I bent down and kissed his forehead and he opened his eyes. Smiling, he sat up and turned to face me fully – which meant he now faced my father for the first time. Findecáno smiled.

"Raziel," he said. "I've heard a lot of nice things about you. Most important of all is how happy you've made my daughter. I am Findecáno. It's a pleasure to meet you." He extended his cloven hand, which Raziel shook.

"Likewise," he replied politely. "You must be proud to have such a daughter as Soul. She saved me from terrible fate." Findecáno was stunned and stared at me.

"You rewrote another's destiny?" he asked.

"A couple times, actually," I said. When I saw the look on my father's face, I said, "I had to! Were you here? Do you know? Raziel was condemned to be imprisoned forever within the blade of the Soul Reaver – the weapon that _I _designed. I couldn't let that happen! I love him!"

"Dearest, you misunderstand," he said gently. "I'm not angry; I'm elated! I never dreamed you'd be powerful enough to change Fate!"

"Oh, it's more than that," came a voice from the doorway. Kain now stood there, watching us. Fenrir barked once and went over to him. Kain smiled and held out his hand to the great wolf. Fenrir sniffed him and then licked his hand, playful as a puppy as usual.

"Ah, Kain," said Findecáno with a smile. "I heard someone say you were dead."

"Someone lied," replied Kain. Findecáno laughed.

"So what do you mean 'it's more than that'?" he asked.

"I mean, your daughter killed the Elder God," answered Kain. "The God that you and the other Ancients so devotedly worshipped. Soul destroyed him. And now she has taken his place. She is now the hub of the Wheel." Findecáno – Father – stared at me.

"Is this true?" he asked me quietly, red eyes wide. I nodded, unsure of what this meant to him. Father smiled at me joyfully and kissed me on both cheeks. I smiled back.

"There is no one I can think of who is better suited to this task," said Raziel. I kissed him in thanks.

"Father," I said. "There is more I have to do as the Elder. And I need your help to do it. The Pillars need new Guardians, and I know who they are. They are my friends back in the other world, the one you sent me to to protect me from the old Elder. We need to bring them here so the Pillars – and with them, Nosgoth – can be restored."

"But the Pillars require vampire Guardians," Father objected.

"I can only think of one of my friends who might balk," I said, "and he more than the others will understand why it needs to be done." No one was certain now except me. "I understand that this is difficult for all of us, but it has to be done if we ever want Nosgoth restored. You told me once that you'd do anything for me, Father. I need you to do this. I think that if you send me back through the portal and I talk to my friends, I'll be able to convince them to come back with me. I'll just need you to keep the portal open for us." Father was silent for a moment, then he nodded.

"I understand, and you're right," he said. "All right. But we have to do this by the Pillars. The only way to keep the portal open for an extended period of time is to open it at the source. Kain, Raziel, and I will hold off the Hylden while you find your friends. But if something goes wrong, I'll bring you back here with or without them. Don't look at me like that. They'll be fine; even more so if we can keep them alive. Agreed?"

I nodded. "Agreed."

* * *

About ten minutes later we were all at the Pillars of Nosgoth. I was still dressed in my gorgeous gown, and Raziel had donned his shoulder armor and shoulder drape. It wasn't the one he had worn throughout his adventures; that one was a wreck. I had made him a new one which I intended to present him after he showed Kain his wings. I never expected what happened. His new shoulder drape I had made out of soft wool dyed the deepest red, except for his clan symbol. The symbol was outlined with sparkling gold thread, and there was gold braid all around the perimeter of the entire drape. I was quite proud of it, and Raziel was proud to wear it. He told me so. 

Father set up the spell while I waited, thinking. My friends knew I would never lie about something of this magnitude, but for all we had talked about traveling to other worlds I didn't think they would actually believe me. I guessed I would have to prove to them that what I said was true. That wouldn't be too difficult; I just had to make sure that my magick didn't get out of hand. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Kain examining Raziel's wings behind his back. Smiling grimly, I went over to him, rested my hand on his shoulder, and whispered, "Touch his wings, and I will rip your spine out through your mouth," into his ear. Kain only laughed.

"Everything's ready," said Father at last. He wasn't entirely accurate: I wasn't sure if _I_ was ready. Still, I was going through with this. Father opened the portal for me and I entered. I felt a strange, yet oddly familiar, sense of displacement as the arcane sorcery transported me away. Just before everything disappeared, I heard my father say, "Now all we can do is wait."


	22. Chapter XXII

**A/N:** I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long. School's just started, and I haven't been feeling well lately. I'll keep the chapters coming, but I'm afraid they won't be as regular as over the summer. Also, I don't really know how Nosgoth vampires are made, so I'm just going to keep it vague.

Chapter XXII

I appeared in Caitlin's driveway. There were few cars there, so I guessed that her parents weren't home. However, I saw shapes behind the blinds over her family room window, so I knew she, at least, was there, possibly with more of our friends. Going up to the door, I actually heard them inside and realized that they were all there: Caitlin, Courtney, Hana, Brad, Nick, Greg, and Joe. All of my friends were gathered together, as though they expected me to come for them. No, that wasn't it. They felt that they needed to be together for some reason none of them could quite figure out. Slowly I raised my hand and knocked on the door. After a moment, Caitlin came and opened it. She stared at me in open-mouthed shock when she saw me standing there placidly.

_"Moony!"_ she gasped. I smiled.

"Hello Cait," I said. "May I come in, please?"

"Hell yeah!" cried Caitlin, opening the door. "What happened? Where have you _been?_ Who took you?" I frowned, confused.

"Cait, I've only been gone for a day," I said.

"A _day!"_ cried Courtney. "Soul, you've been missing for a _week!"_

"What?" I gasped. "No, no, that can't be right. It's only be about a day, I thought."

"It's been a week," said Brad definitely. "What happened to you? Where have you been?"

"I'll tell you, but you won't believe me," I said heavily.

"We know you wouldn't lie," said Hana reassuringly. "Come on, sit down and tell us everything." So I did. I tried to sum everything up briefly, but with a story like mine it proved nearly impossible. It took a while to explain everything, and when I had I just sat back and waited for their response. No one spoke for too long. I felt very ill at ease.

"There's one more thing," I said hesitantly. "The reason I'm back here is because I need you…to come back with me. I told you how the Pillars need new Guardians – that's you. You are the new Guardians." Again, silence. I sighed and dropped my eyes to the floor.

"Soul…" said Nick tentatively, "are you sure this wasn't just a crazy dream?" Immediately everyone jumped on him for saying such a thing.

"I don't think a crazy dream would cause me to disappear for, apparently, a week," I replied tiredly. "Besides, doesn't it make sense? None of us has ever felt like they belonged here. Don't you see? We _don't_ belong here. We have to go back. I know this is a lot for me to ask of you, but I have to." Everyone just looked at me strangely. "Would it help if I told you you would love it there?" I offered. Mass shaking of heads. "I thought not." I sighed again and sank back into the squishy couch.

"Uh, I don't want to sound narrow-minded or anything," said Joe, "but could you prove it? Prove that you're not…y'know, human, that you really have been to this other world?"

I nodded and rose. "What would you have me do?" I gazed around. No one knew what to say. I felt a strange, but not painful, clenching sensation in my abdomen and my fangs distended. I suddenly realized that I was starting to bloodlust. If I didn't feed, I wouldn't be able to control my hunger and might end up hurting one of my friends. I shifted uncomfortably, running my tongue over my fangs behind my lips. "Brimstone and gall," I cursed under my breath.

"Soul? What's wrong?" asked Joe, coming toward me.

_'No, don't, stay back,'_ I thought, but I couldn't say these things to the boy I might have loved. He came closer, and I could smell the blood pumping in him, see the artery in his neck pulse out invitingly. I groaned, my lips parting slightly. Before I could stop myself, I had grabbed Joe's shoulder, yanked him to me, and sunk my fangs into his neck. I didn't take much, thank the gods; only enough to satisfy my hunger for the moment and to prove my point about everything I had told them. I stumbled back from Joe after I released him, both of us wide-eyed and startled by what I had done. I turned away from them all.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," I said. The hunger in me wanted more, but I had enough to control it. I would not hurt my friends. I couldn't bear to look at them now, though. I was ashamed of what I had done, and afraid that they would be afraid of me. But this was not so. Caitlin came up behind me and hugged me. I turned and looked at her.

"I believe you," she said simply. "I believe everything you've said. We all do." She shot a look at the others and they nodded quickly. When Caitlin shoots someone a look, they had _better_ nod quickly. I smiled.

"So you guys trust me?" I asked.

"That was never an issue," said Joe, his hand on his neck.

"And it still isn't?" I asked, unable to keep the surprise from my voice. I wouldn't have been surprised if Joe had refused to even _look_ at me after what I had done.

"No, it isn't," he replied. "How do we…get back to this place?" I smiled, relieved.

"There's a portal opened just outside," I said. "You're really coming with me?"

"Well, I figure this is just a crazy dream so there's no harm in seeing what happens next," said Nick, rising with Courtney.

"Trust me, this is no dream," muttered Joe, rubbing his neck and so smearing blood all over it.

"OK, you go get yourself a Band-Aid," I told him, pushing him towards the bathroom. "Everyone else, think hard about this. I doubt we'll be coming back here any time soon. Are you sure you want to come with me?"

"Does the fate of the world depend on us?" asked Caitlin.

"Yes..."

"Are there millions of innocent lives hanging in the balance?"

"Absolutely."

"Will the world be destroyed if we don't come?"

"Most likely."

"Are our families here not really our families?"

"Not at all."

"Do we have real families in the other world?"

"Quite possibly."

"We're going."

I grinned. "Thanks Cait. Anyone else?" Everyone else agreed, including Joe as he came out of the bathroom with two small spot Band-Aids on his neck. I had to laugh. It was like something out of a B-grade vampire flick. When everyone was ready, I led them outside to where the portal was "propped ajar", so to speak.

"Father?" I called. "Father, we're ready. Hurry." The air shimmered and ripped open, revealing the Pillars of Nosgoth. I ushered my friends through quickly and following after them when they were all through. I made all the necessary intros and kissed Raziel quickly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Joe looking very much hurt, but I pretended not to.

"So these are the Pillars?" asked Caitlin, seeking to break the awkward silence that ensued. I nodded.

"What happened to them?" asked Hana. "Was there a fire or something?" Kain snorted.

"No," I answered. "The Pillars were damned to eternal decay when their Guardians fell to madness and death. Without new Guardians, they will continue to fester forever, as will the land. They need you." I sighed. "There's one other little thing I neglected to mention."

"Which is…?" asked Courtney nervously.

"The Pillars can't be served by human Guardians," I said heavily. "As they were erected by vampires, so they must be served by vampires."

_"What!"_ Courtney shrieked. Damn it, I knew I'd have a problem with her.

"Courtney," I said levelly, and she quieted. I never called her 'Courtney', always a nickname. She knew that this was serious. "It has to be done. Besides, it's not so bad."

"Not…_what?_ Are you crazy?" she demanded.

"No, I'm undead," I said, growing impatient. "Look, never get sick, never grow old, never die, infinite strength, dark magicks, is there a downside that I'm missing here?" Courtney was stunned. I had never spoken to her like that. I sighed and softened my tone: "Court, I'm sorry, but there's no other way."

"Well what about you?" she said. "You're not a full vampire."

"No, and neither am I a Pillar Guardian," I replied. "You're evading the issue. Are you with me, or not?" Courtney looked at me, right into my silvery eyes, and sighed.

"I am," she said. "How does this work?" Grinning in a way one might call 'evil', Kain advanced on her.

"Don't even think it," I warned him. I turned back to Courtney. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that one has to die first, and I can't do it."

"Why not?" asked Caitlin.

"I'm not a full vampire," I said. "Besides, you're my friends. I don't think I could do it anyway." Actually, I was lying about the first part. I just couldn't see myself killing and turning my friends. I really didn't want to. Noticing that all my friends were staring at me, I said, "What, d'you want me to make a game out of it? Like Hide-and-go-Bite or something?" To my surprise, most of the group laughed.

"Sorry Soul, it's just that this is a pretty weird situation," said Brad. I rolled my eyes. I felt an alien coldness spreading through me. Suddenly, it didn't matter whether these _children_ were my friends or not. They all had to die, every one of them, so that the rest of the world could live.

"You must die to live forever," I said in a low voice. I turned and walked a few paces away from them.

"Soul?" asked Caitlin, confused and worried. I could hear it in her voice. She was concerned for me. I gazed over my shoulder at her and the others.

"You came with me willingly into this world," I said. "For that, I thank you. But by doing so, you've signed an unbreakable contract that you must abide by." I walked away and leaned against the Pillar of Balance, my arms folded, my head bent down. "As I said, I will not touch you. I cannot. But there are three other powerful and capable vampires here who will do what must be done. Don't worry-" I added, raising my head a little "-it only hurts for an instant. Just ask Joey."

"Soul, what's _wrong_ with you?" demanded Caitlin, just before Raziel, Kain, and my father set upon Brad, Greg, and Nick respectively. My girl friends cried out as they watched their boyfriends die in a way we had only imagined. I stood, detached and stoic, watching the bloody spectacle. I noted with interest that Kain and the others weren't as brutal as they usually were. In fact, they were actually being gentle with my friends. How intriguing. I was shaken out of my thoughts, literally, by Caitlin.

"Soul, what is going on with you?" she pressed. "You just ordered the death of all of us without so much as a hesitation! What's wrong with you? You're not the Soul I remember." I frowned, confused. She was right. I _was_ acting strangely.

"I don't know, Cait," I said helplessly. "I just don't know. I've been acting weird ever since I drank the Elder God's blood and took over for him. I think it's because his residual traits are now in me and trying to take over. I don't want that to happen; I won't let it happen. I'm sorry, really I am, but this has to be done. I wish it hadn't happened this way, but I can't change that now. I only hope that the others will forgive me." Caitlin nodded, understanding. Often had I told her and Courtney about the _Legacy of Kain_ game series, and she knew all about the monstrous Elder.

"I'm sure they will, once they know what happened," she said. I sighed and looked over at the others. They were all dead now, lying on the stone together. Father was just finishing with Courtney, who was still just barely alive. I looked at her with regret in my eyes, and she reached out to me. I reached back, trying to make her see that I didn't want it this way. She seemed to understand, just before her eyes closed. Father laid her on the stone with the others, placing her near Nick. I saw that they were all lying in pairs, save for Brad and Joe. Joe didn't have a girlfriend, since I was in love with Raziel. Brad was waiting for Caitlin. I looked at her.

"You're the last," I told her quietly. "Want I should ask Raziel to-"

"No," she said firmly. "You do it." I stared at her. "I'm serious, Moony. I want you to do it. I saw you lose it with Joe. You're bloodlusting. If you drink from me, you'll be all right. Do it, Soul." I couldn't speak for a moment. Then I nodded.

"If you're sure," I said hesitantly.

"I'm sure," Caitlin replied confidently. She tucked her short hair behind her ears and took off her choker – a hematite cross hanging from a black cord. It was actually Brad's, but he wanted her to wear it. I couldn't help laughing.

"That won't hurt me, Cait," I said.

"I didn't even think of that," Caitlin said with a laugh. "I just didn't want it getting in your way." That was too much for either of us, and we both burst out laughing. When our mirth had subsided, I held Caitlin by the shoulders and buried my fangs in her flesh. She stiffened, as I guessed she would, but it would take a lot more to actually hurt her. Caitlin had a freakishly high tolerance to pain. I drank and drank from her until her heart stopped. Picking her up in my arms, I carried her over to Brad and laid her beside him. I straightened, looked at my father, and nodded. Father went towards my friends as I went to join Raziel on the sidelines. He put his hands on my shoulders.

"Are you all right?" he asked gently. I smiled.

"I think I will be," I said, "after I see them rise again." I didn't want to watch what Father did to them, but it was like watching a car crash – you don't want to see, but you can't look away. There was nothing more that I could but watch, wait…and hope.


	23. Chapter XXIII

**A/N:** I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update _again_, but the Real World is getting in my way again. I thank you for your patience.

Chapter XXIII

I stayed all night with my friends, watching them change. I could feel the differences in them now, as it became more and more obvious that they were no longer human. I felt inexplicably sad, and not even Raziel's kisses could drive the sadness away. I didn't understand. I should have been elated. My friends – the people dearest to me – were going to live forever! And so was I! Why should I be sad?

_'Maybe because you tricked them into this?'_ suggested that wicked little voice everyone has at the back of their head. I brushed at my temple as though I were brushing away a fly. The voice was right, though. I felt guilty. I had trapped my friends here and forced this dark gift on them all. That's why I was so sad. I prayed that they could – and would – forgive me.

Brad, the first on 'made', woke soon. He looked around until his gaze settled on me, where I sat leaning against the base of the Pillar of Balance. I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"Hey," was all I said.

"Hey yourself," he replied, not unkindly. He studied me for a moment. "Nice outfit."

"Oh, thanks." I had changed from my gorgeous gown into a shirt with wide sleeves and leggings, both made of a silvery-white material, under a sleeveless tunic and boots, both made of black dragon scales that glittered iridescently. My hair was pulled back in a braid as thick as Kain's wrist. I remembered receiving the outfit from my mother on my birthday. But that didn't matter now. "How are you feeling?"

"Different," said Brad, as though unable to better describe it. "I'm more aware of everything around me now. I smell blood everywhere. And I have this tight feeling in my stomach."

"The thirst is upon you," I told him. "Try to control it for now. We have to wait for the others. Caitlin is the last." I watched as Brad stroked Caitlin's hair, which had turned black except for the streaks of devil red. I sighed. "Brad, I'm so sorry."

"For what?" asked Brad in surprise.

"For tricking you all into this, bringing you here with no way back, forcing you all into this dark metamorphosis, all of it. Everything I've done."

Brad just looked at me. "You just did what had to be done. Don't feel bad; we understand. Can't you feel it?"

He was right. In all my friends' minds I sensed no animosity towards me, no resentment, no ill will of any kind. They didn't hate me for what I did. They didn't feel I had anything to answer for, anything to be sorry for. I smiled slowly, feeling much better. Brad smiled too.

"So what happens now?" he asked.

"We wait for the others to rise," I answered, "and then I teach you to hunt, then I call Raziel and Kain, and then I present the Guardians to the Pillars so their corruption will end." I had asked Kain and Raziel to leave me alone with my friends sometime during the night.

"Sounds good, especially the hunting part," said Brad. "I'm hungry." I nodded. I shifted my position so I was facing him more.

"So…what's it like?" I asked.

"What's what and who?" came a somewhat sleepy voice. I looked up and saw Greg just sitting up next to Hana's lifeless form. He looked around. "Whoa, what a _rush."_ I laughed. I couldn't help it.

"What was it like?" I asked. Greg looked surprised.

"What, you don't know?" he asked.

"No," I said. "I was born this way. I wasn't turned. I'm the only vampire in the history of the Blood Curse to be born. Albeit stillborn, but born nonetheless. So what's it like?"

"Weird," said Brad.

"Cool," said Greg at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed. So did I.

"OK, how about one at a time?" I suggested. Brad went first, telling me that it had felt like being born, only backwards somehow. Greg said it was more like an adrenaline rush too high to control that left you exhausted afterward. They both said that the dying part had felt like going to sleep, only heavier. One by one all my friends awoke, all of them different in some way: Brad's skin was just a little lighter than before, Greg's, Hana's, and Courtney's was much paler, Hana and Courtney's hair was black as night while Joe's was white as a lily. And, of course, they all had fangs now. Upper and lower canines. I had the same, only mine were retractable whereas theirs were not. That probably came from my not being a full vampire. When they were all reoriented with themselves, I took them into Termogent Forest and we wandered until I spotted an encampment of vampire hunters. There were still a few floating around here and there. I would see an end to that. As it was at the moment, I only motioned for my friends to come close to me and be quiet.

"Humans?" asked Brad uncertainly.

"What did you expect, rats?" I replied. "They're nothing, only the ruthless slaughterers of Moebius, sent to destroy our kind. They are brutal and merciless, and just as bloodthirsty as vampires, though in a different way. There is nothing noble in their quest. Don't let morals interfere; it ruins the experience. Now, remember that you are silent as shadows if you will yourselves to be. Be swift and silent, or we'll have a bloody ambush on our hands. There are four of them here; the first four will feed now and then we'll move on. Are you ready?" They were. Brad went first, slipping silently behind a tree where a man was sitting, putting his hand over the man's mouth, and quickly feeding from him and leaving his body against the tree looking for all the world as though he were just sleeping. Brad crept back to the rest and I smiled approvingly.

"Excellent. Greg, you go."

And so it went on until all the hunters were dead and the first four of my friends were satiated. We moved on until we found another encampment and the same thing happened. I took the last one, as I was just renewing my memories of feeding and wanted to experience it again. The blood of my best friend, offered to me willingly, had been sweeter than anything I had ever tasted. The blood of my enemy, taken by force, was hot and pumped with adrenaline, as I had made a bit of a scene since all the others were dead and I didn't have to worry about my friends getting hurt. When we were all finished, I brought them back to the Pillars.

"Now what?" asked Caitlin.

"Now this," I replied. I closed my eyes for a moment, and opened them again when I felt my mind traveling outward. A purplish glow surrounded my body. Smiling at my friends' surprise, I Whispered, "Kain? Raziel? Where are you? Return to the Pillars; we are ready." The glow faded when I had finished.

"What was that?" asked Hana.

"It's called the Whisper," I explained. "Vampires can use it to speak to each other over great distance. It's not mind-reading, as we cannot hear each other's thoughts through it. We can simply speak into each other's minds and hear their responses. Raziel and Kain should be here soon." Almost as soon as I'd said it, Kain appeared in a flash of light and Raziel landed gracefully next to me, folding back his wings when he had. I smiled and embraced him tightly. "It's time."

"What do we do?" asked Joe.

"Just do what I tell you," I replied. "Raziel, you're first." Raziel nodded and we went to the Pillar of Death. Raziel placed his hand on the Pillar's cracked and blackened surface. I spread my arms out and said in a voice that echoed through all planes of life: "Raziel, Guardian of the Pillar of Death!" I didn't shout it; there was no need. But the words echoed on and on and are probably still echoing even back into the past. I hoped Moebius could hear it in a different timeline where he still lived. The Pillar accepted its Guardian and was restored. Pristine whiteness spread from Raziel's hand all around and up the Pillar until it was completely white.

"Oh, that's beautiful," said Hana softly. I smiled.

"Wait until you see the others," I said. The Pillar of Death offered it's token, the Death Orb, to Raziel, who accepted it. "Brad, you're up." Brad followed me to the other side of the platform to the Pillar of Mind. He placed his hand on the Pillar, following Raziel's lead from before. Again I announced the Pillar's new Guardian. Again the Pillar was restored to its original beauty. Brad was not presented with a token, because his greatest power already lay in his mind. He understood that as soon as he touched the Pillar. That's why I had chosen him as Mind Guardian. I went to the Pillar of States and gestured to Joe. The same thing happened, only this time the Pillar offered Joe a set of scales, which he accepted. I smiled and went back to the other side of the platform where the Pillar of Dimension waited for Hana. When it was purified, it offered her a third eye with which to see into other realms. She accepted hesitantly, but nonetheless. I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly as I continued. It was Nick's turn to become Guardian of Time. When he had, the Pillar offered him Moebius's Hourglass, which he accepted. I knew the arcane tool; it was off of this that the greater Time Streaming Chambers were modeled. Moebius had long ago taught me how to use them. Doddering old fool, he never realized that I was only cozying up to him to gain that exact knowledge. I smiled at the memory as I continued on to Conflict. It seemed a bit of a roundabout way to do things, going back and forth across the platform, but I felt it needed to be done that way. It wasn't a problem for me, at least. I beckoned Greg over to the Pillar of Conflict and initiated him as its Guardian. Its token was the helmet of Malek, the Paladin failure. In all fairness, Moebius was responsible for his failure but none of that mattered now. History had never meant much to me anyway. Caitlin, my best friend for nearly ten years, was next as Guardian of Energy. Her token was a cloak made from an alloy akin to lead – heavy and malleable, woven into fine links. The energy she'd control would be stored in this garment. The last of my friends, Courtney, my other best friend, was granted the ivory antler headdress of the Nature Guardian when the Pillar accepted her. All of my friends had done as I had asked. Now there was only one more. I turned slowly to face Kain. He nodded and approached the Pillar of Balance, the root of all the Pillars and the source of the corruption. He placed his cloven hand on the Pillar that would one day become his throne and I announced, "Lord Kain, Scion of Balance!" This time I shouted it for all the land to hear, and hear they did. As the last Pillar accepted its Guardian, a great pulse of energy went through the land. I could feel it. I watched as the land was purified of all corruption, feeling the changes in the aura of the earth. Never had I felt anything like it, and I must say I rather enjoyed it. And why shouldn't I? The land I loved, the land I called my home, was pure and whole again. Kain was right, though, in that Nosgoth would never again be innocent. But she was cleansed. The natural order had been restored.

"It's over," I said softly, almost disbelieving. "It's finally over." I felt drained, suddenly, as the Binding was secured fast. The Hylden in me was being pulled away, and I nearly screamed. I was being pulled apart, just as I had when I was first brought here. But now I understood _why._ I fought it, I held on to my Hylden side and somehow forced it to merge with my vampiric essence to form something entirely new. The Binding would not affect me now.

"Oh…" I whispered before I collapsed. Kain caught me, looking down at me in concern. I closed my eyes. Finally, finally, I could rest in peace.

**A/N:** No, it's _not_ over yet! It's not over 'til the fat lady sings (or you see 'The End' at the bottom of the page, whichever makes more sense)! I'm not done with them yet!


	24. Chapter XXIV

**A/N:** I am sorry, so sorry, that I haven't updated in forever, I feel really badly about it :'(. My teachers have been piling on the projects and homework and I somehow have contracted mono (even though I've never been kissed) and I just haven't had the time or the energy to write. But I'll try, really I will. Oh, and I don't own any of the quotes from Dream Theatre's songs.

Chapter XXIV

I saw two hawks swooping and diving in a mating flight over the Great South Lake outside the marvelous structure that had once belonged to the Sarafan. Now it was ours, the vampires'. I sat cross-legged on the balcony outside my bedchamber, my elbows on my knees, my hands clasped, my mouth leaning against them. I was in a precarious position, I knew, but I had superior balance to an ordinary person. Besides, I would survive the fall if it came. For now, I just wanted to enjoy the cool breeze in my hair and the mating dance of these beautiful birds. I studied them curiously, noting how the male strove to impress the female despite her apparent disinterest. Having never been a hawk, I didn't really know disinterest from lust in their case, so I was making an educated guess. Magnificent creatures, hawks. They reminded me of Raziel, though in many ways he more resembled a tiger. I smiled thinking of him and all that had since passed. When I woke from my little blackout, we were all back in the present where we belonged. Much had changed because of what Kain, Raziel, and I had done in the past. The Pillars were once again pure and beautiful. The land was cleansed and uncorrupted. And the Sarafan Stronghold was now Kain's palace. At some point in the time-stream, Kain had apparently resurrected new lieutenants to serve him. Raziel, however, was no longer one of them. He would never again be Kain's lieutenant.

Now he was a prince.

I was startled by this, but I suppose it's the least Kain could do after everything that had happened to Raziel by his hand.

_'Reflections of reality  
are slowly coming into view…__  
How in the Hell could you possible forgive me?__  
After all the Hell I've put you through?'_

Now where did that come from? Oh yes, Dream Theatre, "The Mirror". Always one of my favourite songs, actually. Small wonder that particular line was passing through my head at the time when I found out about Raziel's elevated status. There was another line too that would be apropos, now how did that one go again…?

_'It's time for me to deal  
becoming all too real__  
Living in fear,__  
why'd I betray my friend?__  
Lying until the end,__  
living life so pretend,__  
it's time to make my amends__  
I'll never hurt you again!'_

Ah, yes, that was it. There was no way for Kain to ever truly make amends for what he had done to Raziel, but I think that Raziel forgave him long before we ever returned to the present. Raziel was just like that. He had helped my friends to adjust to their new "unlife" and what they had to do as Guardians of the Pillars. It really wasn't as complicated as it sounded, all they had to do was stay alive and uncorrupt and the Pillars would be fine. The Sarafan were all eradicated, and the few humans who still despised us were a small threat not even worth mentioning. No, my friends would be safe. I would see to that. I didn't want to think about insurrection, though. I wanted to watch the birds.

I smiled again, comparing Raziel to both tiger and hawk in my mind, trying to determine which he was most like. Probably the hawk, since hawks can fly. I laughed inwardly, remembering how I had told Kain that if he even _thought_ or _looked_ like he was thinking about taking Raziel's wings again, I shove the Soul Reaver so far up his ass he'd bring a new meaning to the term "metal mouth". He had laughed, but he knew I was serious and reassured me that he had no intention of ever hurting Raziel or me ever again. I knew now that I could believe him. I could trust him as I once did.

The hawks had flown away together, so I turned my gaze down on the growing metropolis below. Meridian would soon no longer be the capitol of Nosgoth; a new city was being built around the Lake and the Stronghold. Its name would be Golgonath.

Golgonath…

I remembered that place. I had almost remembered it before, when I woke from my coma in the bedchamber in Kain's keep. What was it I had thought in those moments? _'I realized then that I never really had a permanent home before, except in the Hylden dimension. I had always either stayed with Janos Audron or Kain, and traveled with my parents all around Nosgoth. Something in me told me this wasn't entirely true. There was somewhere…'_ That was it. The 'somewhere' was Golgonath. Golgonath was the city where I had been born and partially raised. It was my home. And it had been destroyed by Moebius's mobs. It was a beautiful city, renowned for its artwork, landmarks, and music. Not only that, but it was the first and only city where a vampire tavern – the _Caupona Sanguinaria_, or Tavern of Blood – had been opened and run successfully (no pun intended) for more than two decades. In retrospect, the city was so young when she was brutally raped and murdered. It was I who had asked Kain to name his capitol Golgonath. He readily agreed. Peace and balance were restored to the land. At last, I could rest.

Of course, I was often hearing the voices of those who were being released to the Wheel, but I could shut them out or off. I only went to those who were truly afraid to die, who had no one else, or who deserved punishment for crimes in life. Some of the people – the humans, that it – were deifying me as the new Elder Goddess and building temples in my honor. I didn't ask for all that, but I didn't stop it either. Humans need something they can believe in absolutely, or else they go mad. So I let them have their temples, and I granted some of the miracles requested of me if they lay within my power. On more than one occasion had I purged the illness of a small child or a parent whose children still needed them. There were those children who I had to let die, but they were those who had lost everything in life. I led them to where their families waited for them in eternal peace and made sure they would be at rest. I also asked Courtney to help with some of the weather- and nature-related miracles requested of me. She was glad to oblige.

I turned my thoughts back to New Golgonath, as it had been christened. With the preternatural strength and speed of the vampires, it would be done in no time. Kain's new lieutenants – Mikatay, Zephyr, Brogan, Cestmir, Damek, and Reznik – and their "offspring" were building the city so as to complete it all the faster. There were even a considerable number of humans helping, mostly those who had been vampire-worshippers before and now celebrated the rise of the vampire monarchy. Everything seemed perfect.

"You needn't linger in the shadows, Raziel," I commented, smiling. Raziel had been standing behind me for a few minutes now while I mused and meditated. "I know you're there." Raziel gave a small laugh.

"Who says I was trying to hide?" he replied. I laughed and spun around to face him, sliding fluidly off the balcony rail and onto the floor. Raziel drew close to me and we kissed. I had been wrong before. _Now_ everything was perfect. We finally pulled apart and leaned our foreheads against each other, smiling. "Soul," he said hesitantly, shyly almost, "I have something I'd like to ask you. A very important something."

"What?" I asked in a shy tone. Before he could answer, however, my left ear twitched. That meant someone somewhere was dying and I had to attend to them. "Hold that thought, will you?" I asked. Raziel sighed and nodded. "Oh don't be like that, Raziel. I'll be back soon; I promise." I kissed him again and vanished, transporting to the dying woman. She lay on the ground, ebony-black hair obscuring her face, blood pouring from a wound in her side. There were men standing over her with knives, spitting and cursing at her.

"Traitorous whore!"

"Hylden bitch!"

"Murderous cunt!"

I had heard enough before I had heard anything. Roaring a terrifying roar of retribution, I lunged at the men. They did not see me as I was; they saw what they were each most afraid of deep in their hearts. They turned tail and ran screaming. I quickly dropped beside the woman, fearful.

"Madam?" I asked. "Madam, can you hear me? You're going to be all right, don't worry. I can heal you." The woman only moaned in response. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Quickly I sliced the palm of my hand with my knife and pressed it to the wound. My blood mingled with hers and closed the hideous crater in her flesh, replicating the lost blood. The woman sighed in evident relief, and I removed my hand and let it heal. The woman pushed herself up and shook her hair out of her face.

"Oh," she sighed, much more comfortable. "Why, thank you." I only smiled a gentle, warm smile. Once again I had defied the Wheel, denying it another soul, but I couldn't let this woman die. I didn't know why one of the men had called her a Hylden, but I figured I had misheard.

"Can you get up?" I asked. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"Yes, and I don't think so," the woman replied. I helped her to stand slowly. She seemed steady enough, and she could stand on her own well. She pushed her hair back out of her face and over her shoulders and I stared. The woman was beautiful; there was no doubt about that. Her hair was as thick as mine and nearly as long, glossy and black as a raven's feather. Her skin was a pale, creamy colour like Umah's had been, and her eyes were deep, fathomless indigo. Her features were sculpted, elfin even, but this was not why I stared. I could barely breathe for a moment while I looked at her. Then I uttered one single word that changed both our lives forever:

_"Mommy?"_


	25. Chapter XXV

**A/N:** I'm still here! I'm still working on this, I really am trying hard to get time for this. I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update, but I've had a lot of school work and not a lot of energy because of the illness. But I'm still working!

Chapter XXV

That's right: Mommy. The woman who stood before me was none other than Alatáriël of the Hylden – my mother. I had memories of her now, and there was no mistaking it was her. We stared at each other for a while, neither of us knowing what to say. Finally my mother spoke:

"Galadriël? Is it really you?"

"It's me," I whispered. "Is it you?"

"It is," Mother replied, smiling. "Oh my darling, I heard rumors that you died."

"Not exactly," I said. "Father sent me to the Hylden dimension when he discovered the Elder God's plot to kill me after Raziel died."

"Oh yes, I remember that," said Mother sadly.

"He's all right now, though," I said. I told my very long story and she listened patiently, interested. When I was through, about twenty or so minutes later, there was another moment of silence. What do you say when you've just heard a story like mine? I can't think of anything. And I couldn't then either. So I remained silent.

Finally Mother said, "I _did_ feel a strong fluctuation in the time-stream a while ago. But I didn't realize the _magnitude…"_

"It's all right, Mother," I said gently. "Everything's all right now. Why don't you come with me back to the Stronghold? Father's there, and I want Raziel and all my friends to meet you."

"Oh, yes, of course!" Mother said. I took her hand and cast the spell to transport us back to the Stronghold. We materialized on my balcony. Raziel was still there, pacing up and down. His back was to us when we appeared, but he knew I was there.

"All right, it's not that I'm saying what you do isn't important, it's just that you never seem to have any time for anything other, oh damn," he said all in one breath. He had turned and seen my mother and me. I smiled. "Hello."

"I'm glad to see you too, Raziel," I said. "I'd like you to meet my mother, Alatáriël."

"Greetings," he said uncomfortably. Mother smiled.

"Raziel," she said fondly. "It's so nice to see you alive and well again." Raziel gave a sheepish sort of half-smile. I laughed.

"Come in, Kain," I called in the direction of the door. Kain hadn't knocked, but I had sensed him waiting out there anyway. He entered and came to the balcony where the rest of us were. Father was with him, and he froze when he saw Mother.

"Finny!" cried Mother, rushing into Father's arms. Father eagerly received her, both of them laughing and kissing each other ecstatically. I smiled. I had forgotten how much I loved seeing them like this, so happy and in love. I had even forgotten Mother's pet name for Father. No one else could call _my_ father 'Finny' and live. When they finally stopped smooching and turned to face the rest of us, I spoke:

"Kain, I believe you'll remember my mother, Alatáriël?"

"How could I forget?" Kain replied, smiling at Mother. "It's good to see you well. I had heard that you were pulled into the Hylden dimension along with your daughter."

"Not exactly," replied Mother. "I was caught in a rift somewhere in between. Took me ages to get back out again. When I did, I found all this-"here she gestured all around to indicate all the massive changes that had occurred in the land "-and I wasn't even sure I was in the right dimension. Then I started hearing rumors that my daughter had returned alive and well, and more powerful than ever before. I had to find out the truth, of course, and then I ended up in a bit of a tangle with a few humans who somehow figured out that I'm a Hylden." Father kissed her cheek comfortingly.

"It doesn't matter what happened, so long as you're here now," I said firmly. "I'd like you to meet my friends. They're humans from the Hylden dimension, and are now the new vampire Guardians of the Pillars."

"Oh! I'd love to!" said Mother, obviously delighted to hear that I had new friends. I slipped my hand in Raziel's and led the way.

"Now, there was something important you wanted to ask me?" I asked him playfully. Raziel smiled.

"You know, I think it can wait a little while longer," he said teasingly. "Maybe at the ball tonight, I'll tell you."

"Oh, come on!" I protested, smiling. "You know I hate to be kept waiting."

"That's exactly why I do it, my dear," he replied with a suave smile. I shoved him, but not hard. He laughed and kissed me. I had forgotten about the ball, actually. Golgonath was completed, and the Age of the Vampires, as some were calling it, was finally to begin. There was to be a great ball that night to celebrate. All of my friends were going, and Kain's new vampire lieutenants and their brides were going as well, along with every other vampire in Nosgoth. I, of course, would be descending the grand staircase of the castle on the arm of Raziel. Remembering the ball made me remember how hard it was for me to wait for it. I may be a tomboy, but I still love dressing up in magnificent gowns most girls my age (or at least the age that I look like) only dream of. I imagined how it would be, me in my gown, Raziel in his armor and the special shoulder drape I had made him, banners with the symbols of all the vampire clans hanging all around, fountains gushing out fresh blood. It would be a magickal night, and I couldn't wait to share it with those I loved most.

My friends, who had adjusted to all manner of strangeness and surprises, were thrilled to meet my mother, and she them. The immediately were friends, I could tell, and I was glad of it. I couldn't remember ever seeing Mother so happy. Well, more and more memories of her were returning to my mind, so I actually could, but that's not the point. Mother, Father, and Kain went off somewhere to discuss Nosgoth's rapidly developing future, my friends went off to…do whatever it is Guardians do in their spare time, and Raziel and I went off for a walk in my cherished garden. Well, 'cherished' is a strong word, because I cherish my friends and family, but I really like my garden. I grow roses there of every hue imaginable, as well as every kind of herb and healing plant like feverfew, St. John's wort, Anise star, and the like. The air hung with the pleasant, pungent smell of flowers and herbs.

"Isn't mixing magick and gardening dangerous?" asked Raziel.

"Only for things like poisoned apples and enchanted cabbages that turn those who eat them into asses," I replied. "And no one does that anymore except in faerie tales." Raziel laughed. I smiled and snuggled close to him as we walked. "Soooo, Raziel, dear, there was something you wanted to ask me?" I cooed sweetly.

"Nice try, Moony, but you'll have to wait until the ball," said Raziel. I pouted, but Raziel still wouldn't give in. I threw up my hands in defeat.

"All right! I give up!" I cried. Raziel only laughed again and slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me close to him. I tried to wriggle away. "Oh no you don't, we're in a fight now! Raziel, are you listening to me?"

"No," he answered, his lips on my bare shoulder, kissing their way to my neck. I smiled and relaxed. It's kind of hard to be mad at someone when they're the love of your life and they're kissing your neck. I turned my head and caught his lips with my own.

"There's something I want to show you," I whispered into his mouth. "Later tonight, when the moon rises, slip away from the revelry with me and we'll come here together, just you and I."

"I'll be waiting for you, then," Raziel murmured against my lips. We kissed for a few moments longer, but then we had to break apart so we could each dress for the ball. I returned to my room and found Mother there waiting for me. She was already wearing her elaborate gown; mine lay on the bed neatly. Mother helped me into it, as there were many pieces and they were all rather heavy. When that was finished, she styled my hair, weaving glittering, multi-faceted onyxes and garnets into it and fixing a gold tiara set with onyxes, garnets, and diamonds on my head. Then she applied my makeup while I put on my jewelry. I could do all this myself, but Mother and I had been apart for so long, and I knew how she loved to take care of me and help me like I was a little girl again. I wanted to make her happy, and besides I kind of liked being prettied up by my mother. When we were all done, I looked in the mirror. I was a winner, I have to say. The gown I wore was long and full-skirted, sleeveless and off-the-shoulder, made of deep crimson satin with glittering gold brocade, and an overskirt of gold satin. The neckline was somewhat low and square, and trimmed with black lace with a rose pattern. My makeup and jewelry matched perfectly. I smiled and couldn't wait to see Raziel. I only hoped he didn't forget what it was he wanted to ask me when he saw me!

**A/N:** Haha! You know, I was thinking of making this the final chapter and revealing just what it is that Raziel wants to ask Soul, but…I'm not going to! Hee hee, I am evil! Fear me! BOO! (reviewer jumps up and slaps authoress) Whoa, thanks. I almost lost my composure for a moment there.


	26. Chapter XXVI

**A/N:** BTW, to get a better idea of what Soul's gown looks like (since it's kinda hard to describe), visit http(colon slash slash)store(dot)sewingtoday(dot)com(slash)cat(slash)10000(slash)itmimg(slash)B4315(dot)jpg (sorry about all that, but the site is being a buttmunch). Enjoy!

Chapter XXVI

I waited impatiently at the top of the grand staircase on the far right side (as you were facing the staircase). Where was Kain, and why hadn't the ball begun yet? I wanted to dance with Raziel like we used to. The vampire offspring of Kain's lieutenants as well as all other vampires from all over Nosgoth were gathered, waiting for the vampire king to appear. My friends were all waiting to join with their boyfriends and dance, even though Caitlin didn't like dancing. I sighed and played with my inordinately full skirt. I've always loved dresses with full skirts, and tonight was no exception. I couldn't wait for Raziel to see me in my amazing gown. I couldn't wait to show him what I wanted him to see in the garden. And I really couldn't wait to find out finally what he wanted to ask me! But I wouldn't be able to do any of that until the ball began. And for the ball to begin, Kain had to show up. I grumbled to myself quietly. Just when I thought Kain had changed his mind at the last minute and canceled the ball without telling anyone, he appeared – literally – on the landing of the grand staircase. The way the staircase went was like this: facing it from on the ballroom floor, there were two sets of stairs, one to either side, at the very top that came together on the landing. The landing then horseshoed down onto the dance floor. Raziel and the other males waited on the top left side, while the females (that's me and my friends) waiting on the right. From where we were standing, we couldn't be seen by those on the dance floor.

"My friends," Kain began.

"Oh dear god, he's making a speech," I groaned, rolling my eyes. Caitlin, who stood behind me, poked me in the side to shut me up. I glared at her, but I couldn't keep from smiling. We were just like that, after being friends for ten years. We couldn't stay mad, or even annoyed, at each other for very long.

"We stand on the precipice of a great new beginning," Kain continued, having not heard us (I hoped). "All those who oppose us are eradicated. The Pillars, and Balance, are restored to Nosgoth. Both belong again to the vampires, as it should be. But most of all, the tyrannous monster who called himself a god and sought to destroy us all has been eliminated. In his place rises one of our own: the legendary child of Alatáriël and Findecáno."

"Since when am I a legend?" I said softly, rather taken aback.

"And now, we gather here tonight to commemorate this most glorious day of days! The day that the restoration of Nosgoth is truly complete, and the Age of the Vampires can begin!" The vampires cheered, and even I felt moved by Kain's words. I wondered briefly how the humans in the world felt about this, and then decided I didn't care. "Let the revels begin!" Kain commanded. That was my cue. Making sure my enormous skirt was high enough so that I wouldn't step on it, but not so high as to look ridiculous, I slowly descended the stairs. Raziel came out of the shadows on the other side and descended the stairs before him. He wore a tunic of black silk with four buckles across the front and long sleeves that came to red-lined teardrops at the ends, black pants, black boots with buckles, and, of course, the shoulder drape I had made for him long ago. He looked wonderful, though I found myself wishing he were just wearing his shoulder armor and drape so I could see his delicious muscles. I shook my head briefly to clear it. Raziel was staring at me, and I could immediately tell he liked my costume. The crowd below was buzzing with "ooh"s and "aah"s and someone even let out a shrill wolf-whistle, but I didn't care. Raziel and I met on the landing, where he bowed to me and offered me his arm. I linked it with mine and together we descended the stairs. My friends, the Guardians, followed after us, and then came the lieutenants. I wasn't paying attention to them. As soon as we touched the ballroom floor, Raziel swept me away into the dance. I lost myself eagerly in his tawny eyes, pressing close to him as we danced. He smiled at me, his heart in his eyes.

We danced for a while, until I happened to glance out the great stained glass window on the landing and saw the moon was rising. I slipped my arms around Raziel's neck and whispered, "Come with me," into his ear. He nodded and took my hand and I led him to the garden. We stood for a while, drenched in moonlight, kissing. I had never felt anything like I did when I was kissing Raziel, and I wanted it to last forever…or at least until we both ran out of breath. Pulling back, I led him to the centre of the garden where there was a circle of marble columns, like the one in Vorador's garden. In the centre of the circle was a pedestal. There were mirrors placed just so on the columns so that the first light of the rising moon would be directed onto the pedestal, and would stay there was it journeyed across the night sky. The moon was completely eclipsed, a drop of gleaming ruby-red blood nestled in the endless diamond sky, but its light still shone down on the pedestal. The single rose spray growing there began to tremble, then to slowly stretch towards the sky, stretching out its green leaves to embrace the light that nourished it. A single bud extended from the stem and opened slowly, revealing glittering, diamond-bright petals. Raziel stared.

"What…_is_ it?" he asked in wonder.

"The Moon-Diamond Rose," I said with modest pride. "My most beautiful creation, fertilized with my own blood and the light of the moon. Touch the petals, Raziel. Feel them very gently. Tell me what they feel like."

Cautiously Raziel did as I said. His eyes widened further. "Why, they feel just like normal rose petals! They don't feel like diamond at all." I smiled. Then, to Raziel's further astonishment, I reached out and carefully plucked the rose from its singular growing place. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you a great gift," I replied, carefully fixing the rose in the lapel of his tunic. It was a great honor for me to give one of my prized roses to another. Only once before had I ever done such a thing, and that was when I gave the blue rose to Janos Audron. The roses in Vorador's garden were mine as well; I had grown them for him as a favour. Stories of my roses beauty and apparent deathlessness spread like wildfire throughout Nosgoth, and many came to seek my favour that I might honor them with the gift of a Rainbow Rose, as they were called. The name was a touch obvious for my tastes, but I really couldn't change it.

Raziel fingered the rose delicately, lovingly, and smiled at me. "I believe there was something I wanted to ask you," he said softly.

"Yes, there was," I answered. Raziel put his arms around me, and I smiled, resting my head for a moment in that nook all men have between the neck and shoulder where a girl's head fits perfectly. Raziel held me in his arms, stroking my hair lovingly, then he pulled back a little, looking me in the eyes adoringly. We just gazed at each other for a time, finding no need to express our feelings any other way. Then, to my surprise, Raziel took my left hand in both of his and got down on one knee. I gasped softly as he slipped a beautiful ring on my finger: a ring of white gold twisted into a design like ivy vines with a diamond of incredible clarity carved in the shape of a rose, my favourite flower, with emerald leaves set on the top.

"Soul," said Raziel lovingly. "Nay, Aranel (Elvish – princess, for those who don't remember) Galadriël. You are amazing. You are the most beautiful being I have ever met, and the most wonderful. Never before in my long unlife did I ever feel something was missing, some part of me that wasn't there, until I met you. You complete me, my love. You are my heart, my soul, my very reason to exist."

"Oh Raziel…" I breathed, overwhelmed and at a loss for words for perhaps the first time ever.

"Galadriël, my princess," Raziel said, smiling. "I am your soldier, your warrior, your willing servant. You are my love, my life, my princess. And now I ask you: will you be my bride?"

All words stuck in my throat. My mouth moved silently, foolishly. I never thought the day would come when _Raziel_ would make _me_ speechless. What could I possibly say? What else _was_ there to say?"

"Oh Raziel, of course I will!"

**A/N:** So there it is at last. Are you all happy now? I hope so. I don't want to end this story just yet, and no one seems willing to let it end, so I'm trying to draw it out a little more before the fat lady sings. Until next time!


	27. Chapter XXVII

**A/N:** Hello, I'm back! I am _so_ sorry it's taken so long, but you'd rather have the chapters take a while and be good than have them lickety-split and royally suck, right? I was thinking of making this the last chapter, but then I got some more…_ideas_, as you shall see. Mwahahahaha! (cough) I'm OK…

Chapter XXVII

Vampires don't have weddings. I know that sounds like an "Adventures of the Bailey School Kids" book, but it's true. When a vampire male asks a female to be his bride, and she accepts, that's basically it. However, more esteemed vampires usually prefer to have some sort of ceremony to mark their union. When Raziel and I returned inside, he somehow slipped away from me. I spotted him on the landing seconds before he called for everyone's attention.

"I wish to announce," he proclaimed, "that the beautiful Princess Galadriël has just agreed to be my bride." Everyone cheered as I blushed and covered my face. Raziel smiled as he came down and drew me up to the landing with him. We kissed there in front of everyone, and they all cheered again. The revelry recommenced with even pomp and circumstance than before. All night long I danced with Raziel, and once or twice with Kain and my father. My friends all hugged me and said how happy they were, even though they were still getting used to the idea that I was over a thousand years old, not the sixteen-year-old I appeared to be, and therefore more than old enough to be married. Those vampires old enough to survive sunlight stayed and danced most of the day away while the younger ones returned to their resting grounds. Finally everyone was exhausted and returned to their territories. My friends, parents, Kain, Raziel and I all returned to our rooms. Actually, Raziel and I returned to _my_ room. We fell asleep in each other's arms, dreaming of each other. As I drifted off, I remembered a time when I was plagued by horrific nightmares, and no amount of herbs or magick could stave them off. It was during this time that Raziel first made his affection for me known, for he told me, "My lady, I would enter your sleep and guard you in your dreams if I could, but I cannot unless you dream of me." The nightmares stopped after that…

To say that Mother was thrilled would be a huge understatement. She and Father were both happier than words could say for me, as they knew how strongly I loved Raziel and he loved me. Mother began working immediately on a handfasting gown for me, and Raziel, Kain, and Father all started talking about territory and dowries and such. I didn't care about any of that. I spent my time in my garden, where Raziel and I agreed to hold the handfasting ceremony, tending my flowers and making everything look beautiful. But in caring for my Rainbow Roses, I remembered the blue one I had place on Janos's folded hands in his tomb. I missed him terribly, and dearly wanted him to be at the handfasting. But how could this be possible if Raziel still had the use of the Heart of Darkness? Was there any other way?

My time in the gardens was soon spent in the library, poring over ancient tomes long forgotten and cast aside. It took many days and nights of long study, but at last I found an ancient and arcane spell to revive the dead. I told no one of my intentions, as secrecy empowered the spell. Preparations took even more time, as I had to wait for the light of the full moon to do certain things, but at last I had all that I needed to do my dark work. Taking up my athame, herbs, and the potion I had brewed, and cast a spell to transport me to Janos's tomb. It was hard to look at him again, bloody and wounded as he was, but the sight of the blue rose on his hands gave me strength. I placed an emerald, for eternal life, in the gaping hole in his chest. This would be the new heart, if all went well. _If…_

That done, and my hands cleaned of the viscera, I continued in my work, going about it very systematically. With a raven's wing feather I drew a flamel on Janos's forehead and placed branches of wild rose all around his body. Then, tossing a pinch of dried hemlock in the air, I recited the spell I had so painstakingly striven to memorize:

_"Fire to heat the spark of life,  
Water to cleanse away all strife,__  
Air to cause the lungs to breathe,__  
Earth to your noble corpse unsheathe.__  
Add Light and Dark, and the spell is done__  
I grant you Life ever and anon!"_

That was it. There was nothing more to do now but wait. And so I did. Seconds felt like hours, minutes felt like years, but it wasn't long before I saw the blood on Janos's garments begin to fade. The emerald glowed brightly and the flesh closed over it. I watched, delighted and fascinated, as Janos's body was restored through my magick. Finally he gave a small shudder and opened his eyes. He sat up slowly, looking around.

"I…remember!" he said. He turned to me and his golden eyes widened. "Galadriël! You? You were lost!"

"But now I'm found," I replied. Grinning, I embraced him tightly. "It's wonderful to see you again, my old friend. You must know, though, that you have been dead for centuries. Over five of them. Your murderers, and Vorador, are dead. But a new power has risen. The age of the vampires has begun. Kain is now ruler of Nosgoth, and the Pillars are restored by their new Guardians." I told him the entire story, starting from when Kain took me from my library in the other dimension and I woke up with Moebius at the base of the Pillars and ending at this moment. "I wanted you to be there," I said. "For my wedding. I knew you would have wanted to be."

"Yes, of course," said Janos, somewhat dizzied by all this information. Nothing was like before, and so much had happened that he had never anticipated because I was not there. "I am still amazed that you found the edge of Kain's metaphorical coin, and in such a way! Never did I dream that redemption was possible for Raziel in his ruined form."

"It was," I answered. "And it is done. And I am to be his bride. I can't tell you how happy I am, especially now that you're here to see it." Janos smiled at me and embraced me.

"It will take some time for me to fully understand what has happened," he said. "But I do not care. The Binding is secured, the Pillars are restored, and you and Raziel are finally at peace. Nosgoth is pure again."

"Yes," I agreed, "but it will never be possible to give her back her innocence. However, some sacrifices are necessary for the greater good. But let us leave this gloomy place. You must see my parents again, and meet my friends. There is so much I want you to see."

"Then let us waste no time," said Janos with a smile. I cast a spell to transport us back to the Vampire Stronghold. As I expected, there was much excitement when it became known that Janos Audron was alive again, and many questions that we had to answer. Throughout it all, I felt tired and strangely out-of-sorts. I tried to ignore it, but the feeling grew stronger. I was jarred out of my stupor by Father locking his arms around my waist and swinging me around.

"My brilliant child!" he exclaimed jubilantly. I smiled and kissed his cheek. Slowly he set me down. "Why, whatever's the matter?"

"I feel…" I said softly, _"…cold…"_ Then I collapsed in his arms and knew no more.


	28. Chapter XXVIII

**A/N:** I don't own the quote from LoZ: OOT at the end. And if you want to see Soul's gown, Google Image search for "Queen of Owls", which I also don't own.

Chapter XXVIII

I awoke feeling very refreshed and wondering where I was. What had happened, anyway? I remembered raising Janos from his tomb, and bringing him back to the Stronghold to meet everyone and be there for my wedding, and then…I fainted? I frowned, confused. Why would I have fainted? Did the power of the spell I cast overtax my mind? Still wondering, I looked around. I was lying on my own bed in my own room; doubtless Raziel or Father had carried me here. I hoped they weren't too worried about me, seeing as how I was apparently all right. I sat up and shifted my shoulders a bit. Something felt…different, somehow. I couldn't quite place it. I figured I had been sleeping in the same position for too long and ignored it. I rose and went out into the hall to find someone and let them know I was awake. I walked around for a while, wondering why everything felt different in some strange way.

_'How long was I out of it, anyway?'_ I thought. I shook my head slightly and continued on my way. I passed by several of the human servants, all of who pointed, stared, and whispered to each other as I went by. I was puzzled. Was there something on my dress or what? Why was everyone acting so strangely? I just figured to Hell with it; I just wanted to find my fiancé.

I wandered around for a while longer until I finally came across my family – which includes Kain, Janos, and all my friends – in the main hall, all talking about me.

"-found out there was nothing to worry about after all," Raziel was saying.

"She should be waking soon," agreed Father. I frowned, confused.

"Um, hi?" I said uncertainly. Everyone turned at the sound of my voice.

"Soul, you're awake!" said Courtney happily. Then her face changed to a look of wonder as she breathed, "Oh my god…that's so beautiful!"

"What is?" I asked. "How long have I been out?"

"About six months," Kain informed me. "Though I can see it was well worth the wait."

"Six _months!"_ I yelped. "I've been asleep for SIX FRIGGIN' MONTHS!"

"Clearly," replied Janos. "Don't you realize it yet? Come and look at yourself." Uncertain and still shocked, I went closer slowly. Mother made a magick mirror in the air for me to look into. I gasped when I did. My eyes had changed from silver to fathomless indigo while I slept – the evolutionary sleep of the vampires, I understood. But that wasn't the most shocking change. I now had a pair of beautiful draconic wings of a hue to match my new eyes, though they glittered iridescently. I stared. No wonder my back had felt strange when I got up! I had _wings!_

"I have _wings!"_ I gasped. I reached back and touched one gingerly. It tickled a little. "Oh, they're beautiful. I can't believe it."

"Neither can I," said Raziel. I looked up at him. "Once again, you've managed to shatter everything I believed in." I frowned, waiting for an explanation. Raziel smiled. "I believed you could never become any more beautiful." I smiled and blushed.

"This is wonderful," I said softly. "And now we can finally be married!" Raziel smiled again and took me in his arms, kissing me softly on the lips.

"Yes, we can be married," he agreed. "Today. Now. This very moment." I laughed gaily and kissed him again.

"No," I said against his lips. "In the garden. At twilight."

"Uh, isn't it bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding ceremony?" ask ed Joe. Raziel and I looked at each other and then back at Joe.

"No," we said as one.

"Vampires don't have the same superstitions as humans," Father explained quietly.

"Ah," was all Joe said in response. Raziel and I went away together to oversee the preparation of the garden for our handfasting.

* * *

The ceremony, like we had planned, took place at twilight. Everyone was there, from my friends and family to Kain's lieutenants and their offspring and brides. Raziel was handsomely dressed in his shoulder armor and drape, as usual. I loved the way he looked dressed so. I felt radiant in an elaborate, flowing gown: it was made from satin as white as snow. The skirt was made of many layers overlapping each other, each edged in black trim. The sleeves were off the shoulder, long, and came to bells embroidered with black at the ends. The tops of the sleeves, as well as across the bodice, were edged with black lace. The bodice had black brocade starting at the centre and tapering down to a point at the black waistband. I wore a white gold tiara with glittering diamonds and moonstones set into it, from which my rhinestone-trimmed veil cascaded. Mother had curled and twirled my hair in an elegant mass of knots and curls on top of my head with a few curls hanging down in the back and two corkscrew curls framing my face. Woven into my hair were sparkling garnet roses and diamond stars. I have to say it: I was _dazzling._

The handfasting went by in a blur, but I must have done everything right because suddenly Raziel was kissing me, there was a beautiful silver ring set with the words "My heart is yours" in ancient runes on my left ring finger, and everyone was cheering. We all danced the night away, with greater revelry even than when Kain had held his vampire ball six months ago. This would be a night to remember. I cast a spell to make the night last longer so the younger vampires could stay, until after hours of dancing and celebration, everyone was exhausted and ready to sleep for a few millennia. Raziel and I were given magnificent gifts from everyone as they left slowly, congratulating us and wishing us many happy lifetimes together. Mother and Father's gift was the gift of life for our children. Mixing magick with physical chemistry is risky business, but they were exceedingly cautious as they cast a spell to let us be able to have children. Janos gave me a beautiful necklace dripping with exquisite jewels, and to Raziel he gave a marvelous sheath for his sword. Kain's gift, however, was the most unexpected of all. He gave us New Golgonath. Gave it to us as our kingdom. I was flabbergasted, and marveled at the generosity of his gift, but he only smiled and said that he had built the city for me, so I could have a place to call home again. I embraced him, as did Raziel, and we went back into the Stronghold.

We returned to my bedchamber, and I found that Raziel had been in there when I had not. There were candles softly glowing all around, and sweet sandalwood and rose incense burning. Raziel spun me around playfully and I caught his lips with my own. Again and again we kissed, until Raziel swept me up in his arms and laid me gently on the bed. There, in the very bed where I had 'til now only dreamed of this moment, we made love.

* * *

Time passes, people move... Like a river's flow, it never ends. A childish mind will turn to noble ambition; young love will become deep affection. The clear water's surface reflects growth. And so I grew, and so did my friends, my city, my land. And the child in my womb grows as well. Raziel, Mother, and Father couldn't be happier and neither could I. I shall name this child Maverick if it's a boy, and Duvessa if it's a girl. I rather hope for a boy, though. A boy to grow up to be just like his noble father. Raziel and I are now king and queen of New Golgonath, and the city is thriving. We're so in love, and eagerly await the arrival of our child. Yes, our child. I used to dream of being a mother back in the Hylden dimension, but I never thought of who would be the father. But who I was in the Hylden dimension is not who I really am. I am Turinqui (**A/N:** 'queen') Galadriël, ruler of New Golgonath. I am the impossible offspring of an unlikely union; a half-Hylden half-vampire hybrid with unsurpassed powers. I am loved and admired and oh so greatly wanted. I know the truth now. And nothing can ever take that away.

FIN


End file.
